I have some crooked teeth with gaps between them, but they don’t bother me. They’re clean and healthy so what’s the problem? If someone’s going to be so obsessive about my teeth not being perfect, they’re not going to be someone I want to be around very much.
Appearances are far from everything.
People’s opinions also depend on your age. If you’re 50+, lots of folks that age didn’t have the opportunity for orthodontia as kids, so crooked teeth are more common / acceptable. If you’re 20-something & not obviously from a poor background, the common expectation would be that you had orthodontia available but skipped it for some weird reason.
[QUOTE=Nava]
Tetracyclines. I’m not replacing my natural, perfectly working (although yellow) teeth with artificial ones until they fall off on their own, thanks. Whitening treatments like laser and carbonates do not work in our case, all our bones are yellow through and through.
I should carry a camera with me whenever I go see a new dentist. The ones who take a look, figure out my age and ask “tetracyclines?” are a complete majority, most give me a spiel about not smoking (ftr, smoking leads to spots, not to uniform yellow). The camera? For snapping a pic of their embarrased expression when I say “ever heard of tetracyclines?”
I notice crooked teeth a lot more since I lived in the USA, in Europe they’re pretty common. Usually not as bad as David Bowie’s buuuut…
[/QUOTE]
That’s true. It does help if people use a straw with juice or cola’s. And if you drink coffee or tea to rinse your mouth out with water.
I got veneers a few years ago and I’m thrilled with the way they look.
[QUOTE=Quiddity Glomfuster]
Depends how crooked. But IMHO stained is way worse than crooked. There’s no excuse for yellowed toofs.
[/QUOTE]
But that’s how my teeth came naturally. I drink coffee about once a day now but they’ve always been not white.
I have recently become self-conscious about my crooked teeth but only because of how common veneers and teeth-whitening have become. I’ve almost come around to following the trend but then I remember my teeth are healthy and don’t really need treatment.
[QUOTE=Caridwen]
That’s true. It does help if people use a straw with juice or cola’s.
[/QUOTE]
Funny you should mention that. I heard about this idea for the first time last night during a commercial for some sort of Sensodyne that fights acid something or other. It was a pseuo-interview with a dentist talking about the horrors of orange juice and how using a straw would help. As would the product.
[QUOTE=Nava]
Tetracyclines. I’m not replacing my natural, perfectly working (although yellow) teeth with artificial ones until they fall off on their own, thanks. Whitening treatments like laser and carbonates do not work in our case, all our bones are yellow through and through.
[/QUOTE]
Seriously?! I’ve known most of my life why my teeth came in off-white instead of pearly, but I’ve never heard that it colored our bones too.
And remember - the British Empire was built on crooked teeth!
[QUOTE=gigi]
Funny you should mention that. I heard about this idea for the first time last night during a commercial for some sort of Sensodyne that fights acid something or other. It was a pseuo-interview with a dentist talking about the horrors of orange juice and how using a straw would help. As would the product.
[/QUOTE]
My husband’s being telling me that for years because I drink coffee and diet soda.
He says to rinse your mouth out after coffee or tea.
I was in a bad car accident and damaged some of my teeth. I was lucky they were in such good shape before the accident or I probably would have lost most of my teeth. Some teeth were loosened, some were chipped and had to have my jaw wired. (I didn’t have airbags in this car).
I had to have extensive dental work and have veneers. It took forever and was expensive but I’m happy with the way they look.
I’m a little late to this thread, but just want to add that my front teeth have a noticeable gap between them (think David Letterman or early Madonna) and I am always stunned when people say they didn’t notice the gap until I pointed it out. Friends, close co-workers, even my boyfriend – when we get around to talking teeth (doesn’t everyone??) they’re always like, “What gap? Ohhh!” And I frequently get compliments on my smile, which also stun me. But I’ll take 'em. 