I agree, and it is telling that whitening strips with an working dose of active ingredients aren’t even approved for over the counter sale here in the Netherlands.
Do they really do that in weight loss commercials? I haven’t noticed - I’ll pay more attention in the future.
I’m getting the impression that our (US) every 6 month cleanings are pretty much the same as your “cavity prevention” visits. The amount of scraping with the metal torture device really depends on how much tartar and plaque there is to get rid of.
What I’m interested in is this sealing of the teeth - what’s that about? If we have such a thing here I’ve never had anyone tell me about it (which would be shocking since, as has been mentioned, dentists often try and sell you every conceivable service they can think of).
I’m referring to the “boom boom” sounds you hear on the soundtrack of these commercials, when they show overweight people walking or whatever.
A plastic resin is bonded to the tooth surface. It was approved in the '70s but became popular (at least where we were) as a prophylactic measure when my youngest sibs were kids, so the late 80s, early 90s. Neither of my siblings even knows what it is to have a cavity filled.
I imagine an adult could have it done, but no one has ever proposed it to me either, even though I have very soft teeth which are very cavity prone. I wonder if it is not indicated for adults.
I have had dental work in both countries and all I can say is that Dutch dentists are very much like American ones, except that they don’t use any anaesthetic for fillings and they think you are a wimp for wanting novacaine.
Well, no it isn’t. Nearly nothing is available over the counter in the Netherlands; it is my own belief that this is because it is so easy, cheap, and convenient to get a prescription and that there is a high social value placed on having a central gatekeeper (like the family doc) for medical treatment. A general mistrust of self help if you like.
Dope you can get. NyQuil? Forget it, and the family doc looks at you like you have proposed that he write you a scrip for rat poison.
I’m American I had sealant done when I was a kid. Basically they put something like epoxy into the deep crevices in the middle of the molars. For a long time I could feel it there, but I can’t anymore. Whether that’s because it’s worn off of because I don’t remember what it felt like without it, I don’t know.
I was reading an article the other day that I don’t think anyone else has posted yet. It’s an interesting look at the subject of American dentistry by a British woman who had extensive work done after moving to the US.
Thank you. I’m not very good at that sort of thing. Oddly enough, I got a reminder card in Saturdays mail from my dentist. I’m overdue for my six month cleaning and cavity check. I couldn’t help but laugh a bit about it with all the tooth talk going on.
What kind of veneers are those?
I have had to have mine replaced a few times. My last set lasted the longest, around 14 or 15 years.
From that article:
This blows my mind. Never brushing your teeth?!
Tooth brushing didn’t become common among the masses until after WWII. My mother never brushed as a child, either - and had dentures by her mid-40’s.
My in-laws (who are, no joke, actual hillbilles) don’t spend a dime on their teeth and most lost theirs by their mid to late 30’s. I’ve had some of them ask me where I bought my teeth - they find it hard to comprehend that someone could be over 40 and still have all their own natural teeth. Really, what the mainstream US considers the dental normal is a historical and regional exception in many ways.
Mind you, I really like undecayed, functional teeth, I wish that everyone in the world had them, but yes, some Americans do go overboard on the cosmetics without realizing how fortunate they are, that they can afford to spend so much on what particular shade of white their teeth are rather than whether or not they have them at all.
I visited my (American) dentist earlier this week and Regis Philbin was on the TV. My dentist commented on how he did not like Philbin’s teeth because they are so bright, white and unnatural. He prefers a more natural look but says that many of his customers demand bright white, so what’s he going to do?
He said he was at a conference where he met a dentist from somewhere in western Europe who said that in his country they often deliberately put minor flaws into dentures/crowns etc. so that they look natural rather than fake.
I think aligning teeth is somewhat of a social status. When I was growing up in the 1980’s almost every kid had braces. I think we make assumptions about people that don’t have straight teeth. Perhaps they didn’t have the money to fix them. If you are the only kid who didn’t get braces and you stand out from everyone else I think it can effect the job you get and the people who want to date you. I don’t think American’s ever give it a thought that they may not look real. We know they are real. I can tell the difference between dentures and real teeth. As far as whitening goes, I would only consider doing that if I had stained teeth from coffee drinking. Brown teeth are gross. Who would want to kiss you? I looks like you have bad hygiene. For some people straightening teeth is medically necessary, as it was in my case.
I consider the unnaturally perfect teeth of American actors and actresses preferable; but noted that it wasn’t always so: if you watch episodes of Bewitched, made in the 1960s, you may notice their teeth aren’t so white, pretty and straight as today’s thesbians are.
Extrapolating this to the general population, perhaps 1960s Americans didn’t all have exquisite teeth.
Two caveats: this doesn’t apply to Sam; and Bewitched had a lot of rum-looking minor actors. Most sitcoms do, but Bewitched more than most.
We paid for one of our kids to have the full treatment, mainly for cosmetic reasons. There were a few potential problems with molars and spacing, but we (and he) didn’t want crooked teeth. It involved not only braces, but some uncomfortable plates to straighten and widen* his jaw. IIRC it was around 6000 USD. It wasn’t covered by insurance.
Interesting (or maybe not) datapoint. Long after we married, I lost a lot of my bottom teeth in an accident on a North Sea rig. I was helicoptered to a dentist somewhere in Scotland. The fix ended up being fairly crooked by American standards. The company offered to cover additional straightening, but I decided it wasn’t that bad, and maybe added a little character. They’re still that way today.
*that was partially for spacing.. not just looks.
I wore braces for an overbite. Nearly 4 years and then a permanent lower retainer for years afterward. The retainer began to cause gum disease and had to be taken off. My teeth shifted back quite a lot. I still got some benefit from those teenage braces.
I have yellowed teeth and have no interest in getting them whitened. No veneers either. I got one implant last year to replace a tooth I lost several years ago. It was a lower molar that I needed for chewing.