# Do Britishers really have bad teeth? If so, why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 11, 2003, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022 "2003-06-11T02:14:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022/61 "2015-09-17T08:56:06Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > However if someone says ‘Britisher’, I am at liberty to assume they are Colonials under the far-flung flag who were aged about 80 in the 1930s. I think it survived quite a bit longer than that. Noel Coward couldn’t have been more than 40 when he wrote Mad Dogs and Englishmen. I suppose you could say colonials would have thought some people were Britisher than others… ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022/62 "2015-09-17T10:48:24Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > This is not to say the the British are less hygienic and brush their teeth less often., but there is less cultural pressure here, outside the media, for those perfect teeth. Yes, and I would argue that this is another example of something Americans associate with Brits which is actually pretty much the norm across much of the developed world. Most countries don’t seem to care much about having non-crooked teeth. I’m not saying either view is right, just that it’s interesting it’s something just considered British by Americans. Another example, at the (very likely) risk of hijacking, is the stereotype of British men being less “manly” or even somewhat effeminate in their style and mannerisms. When IME, among developed countries, Britain is more typical and the US is something of an outlier in how macho guys are required to be. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022/63 "2015-09-17T11:10:58Z")
I’m sure we are. Not that manliness is worth worrying about. However America is an intensely masculine culture. And that makes them worry about it. Still, one amusing thing is that both nations, secretly in Britain’s case, and not so secretly in the USA, believe some of the other’s accents to be kinda sissy and effeminate. More the South than the deep Californian tones. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022/64 "2015-09-17T11:28:58Z")
Since the thread has been resurrected… My teeth were horrible. They still are, but markedly less so. When I was a child, many dentists pushed really hard to handle orthodontics privately; it wasn’t deemed a necessary procedure for most. In my case it was most definitely necessary. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022/65 "2015-09-17T11:44:53Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Yes, and I would argue that this is another example of something Americans associate with Brits which is actually pretty much the norm across much of the developed world. Most countries don’t seem to care much about having non-crooked teeth. > I’m not saying either view is right, just that it’s interesting it’s something just considered British by Americans. > > Another example, at the (very likely) risk of hijacking, is the stereotype of British men being less “manly” or even somewhat effeminate in their style and mannerisms. When IME, among developed countries, Britain is more typical and the US is something of an outlier in how macho guys are required to be. I’ve said this before in discussions regarding British food and teeth, so I’ll add it here again. What makes the UK different to other countries is our self-deprecating sense of humour which permeates through all levels of Britishness. Where other countries get all precious about things regarding them as a nation, we have a tendency to lay into ourselves as well. We’ll happily shit all over ourselves if it gets a laugh. But when other people see us agreeing with stuff, for laughs, they start to think that maybe there’s some truth behind it. We are our own worst enemies. But fuck it, it is still funny and that’s what matters. ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022/66 "2015-09-17T12:01:56Z")
Picking up on a couple of themes in this thread. At relatively remote family event (my sister-in-laws’ father’s funeral) I correctly walked up to the American wife of one of the guest and introduced myself saying that, “You must be {so-and-so}”. “How did you know?” she replied and was amused to hear it was she had “American teeth”. American teeth are spreading, as part of globalization probably, amongst the young (anyone under 25 roughly) as the expectation but prior to that I agree that perfect whiteness and straightness was not considered important, dental hygiene certainly was though. Unrelated but on the other recent issue of American macho-culture, I used to go to Texas regularly on work - specifically Houston. Once me and a couple of other Britons had arranged to meet up with some American colleagues at a bar. They beat us to it and were sitting at the bar waiting for us to arrive. They were amused to overhear a couple of other Texan’s remark as we came in the door, “Whadoyathink? Gay? Or just European?”. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022/67 "2015-09-18T14:36:18Z")
> [@notquitekarpov](#): > > Picking up on a couple of themes in this thread. > > At relatively remote family event (my sister-in-laws’ father’s funeral) I correctly walked up to the American wife of one of the guest and introduced myself saying that, “You must be {so-and-so}”. > > “How did you know?” she replied and was amused to hear it was she had “American teeth”. > > American teeth are spreading, as part of globalization probably, amongst the young (anyone under 25 roughly) as the expectation but prior to that I agree that perfect whiteness and straightness was not considered important, dental hygiene certainly was though. > > Unrelated but on the other recent issue of American macho-culture, I used to go to Texas regularly on work - specifically Houston. Once me and a couple of other Britons had arranged to meet up with some American colleagues at a bar. They beat us to it and were sitting at the bar waiting for us to arrive. > > They were amused to overhear a couple of other Texan’s remark as we came in the door, “Whadoyathink? Gay? Or just European?”. Yeah, we have the same over here, but it goes like this: “Idiot or American?” the answer is usually: “Is there a difference?” Here’s the American teeth might be artificially whiter, but their teeth are not healthier [Cite](http://www.economist.com/node/15060097) [The “more natural look - not as artificial as the USA” Cite](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7633254.stm) This is a fluoridated vs. unfluoridated [cite](http://fluoridealert.org/studies/caries01/), but let’s not argue about that right now. However, the article makes it obvious that general teeth healthiness has drastically increased across all Western countries. On a site note, how come American men worry that much about bleaching there teeth and than all of them wear those damn ugly [tighty whities](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKOgufeUAAAb-te.jpg)? Here’s the [Popular fiction cite](https://joshmberman.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/5352916-breaking-bad-exhibit-features-walt-tighty-whities.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022/68 "2015-09-18T17:03:34Z")
I have a British spouse with terrible teeth. As far as I can tell, this is for two reasons: 1. Small jaw. Literally not enough room for all the teeth, so they come in crooked. I think the is the main reason. 2. Candy addiction. British kids eat tons of candy compared to Americans, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022/69 "2015-09-19T19:11:27Z")
I found [these OECD stats](http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/download/8109111ec012.pdf?expires=1442690504&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=2D96D91035F6BBDB0CFD25E310E2E855) relating to children’s dental care. If I’m reading it correctly, the UK’s kids (back in 2005 at least) had excellent teeth despite less dentists per 1000 people, compared to other countries. ---
**Author:** ![Dana\_Scully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@Dana\_Scully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dana_Scully)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022/70 "2015-09-19T23:18:08Z")
> [@bifar](#): > > Personally, I think the stereotype no longer holds water. A generation or so ago we were pretty backward in dental stuff and people often had all their teeth taken out when they were young, as a precaution. It was very rare to wear a brace. > > But these days, the state of most young people’s teeth in the UK is perfectly okay. Most young kids wear braces, although capping is less common. Everyone uses fluoride toothpaste, mouthwash, floss etc. (I’m not sure about **cowgirl** ’s experience, but we’ve had dental floss in the UK for at least 20 years.) > > And we do that think with the red pill at school, too – at least I did. > > I’m actually quite insulted by the portrayal of Brits having really disgusting teeth (even when it’s a joke, as in Austin Powers and Shanghai Nights). I think it’s an old joke and writers should let it go. You’ve had floss available for general use for\*\* ONLY\*\* 20 years??? That’s shocking;:eek: it’s been available and people have been using it for much longer in the US. Even if you can’t afford to get your teeth straightened, capped, etc., you can still do plenty on your own to keep your teeth in good health. And if you want to talk about the discomfort of braces, and/or how they’re \*\*only \*\*used for cosmetic reasons… I had to have braces put on when I was 48 and in the full throes of menopause, which was causing my gums to go to hell. I had to have gum surgery (no piece of cake) and the only thing that would keep my gums–and therefore my teeth–healthy, was to have them straightened. It wasn’t cheap; I had to make some financial sacrifices, but it was well worth it. It’s SO important to take care of your teeth, whether on your own and/or with the help of a dentist, and especially as you get older. If you want to have a healthy and comfortable old age, it’s vitally important that you keep your mouth healthy. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022/71 "2015-09-20T08:57:09Z")
> [@Dana\_Scully](#): > > You’ve had floss available for general use for\*\* ONLY\*\* 20 years??? That’s shocking;:eek: it’s been available and people have been using it for much longer in the US. Even if you can’t afford to get your teeth straightened, capped, etc., you can still do plenty on your own to keep your teeth in good health. > > And if you want to talk about the discomfort of braces, and/or how they’re \*\*only \*\*used for cosmetic reasons… > > I had to have braces put on when I was 48 and in the full throes of menopause, which was causing my gums to go to hell. I had to have gum surgery (no piece of cake) and the only thing that would keep my gums–and therefore my teeth–healthy, was to have them straightened. It wasn’t cheap; I had to make some financial sacrifices, but it was well worth it. > > It’s SO important to take care of your teeth, whether on your own and/or with the help of a dentist, and especially as you get older. If you want to have a healthy and comfortable old age, it’s vitally important that you keep your mouth healthy. Of course we’ve had floss for longer than that. My Parents had it in the bathroom when I was a kid and I am 41. And of course people get braces when required. My sister went to an orthodontist and had braces for years. The difference is that we don’t see cosmetic changes for a slight bit of crookedness as a necessity to correct, which is something that has been stated several times in this thread but apparently needs to be stated again. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022/72 "2015-09-20T17:16:25Z")
I thought I read something about this in one James Burke’s books. I’d look it up but he has a tendency to go from one thing to another so I’d probably have to read the whole thing to find it. Anyhow, I thought he said something about it being a trend for the British to whiten their teeth at one time using extremely damaging stuff that gave great short term results and in the long term totally wreaked them in unnatural ways. I couldn’t find the exact thing Googling but it did turn up references to nitric acid and [this paper.](http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v189/n11/full/4800839a.html) I also remember that passage about British teeth also made mention of how ancient Romans whitened their teeth more safely using ammonia from urine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-britishers-really-have-bad-teeth-if-so-why/181022.md?page=3)