# Why Do many Brits and Japanese have bad teeth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 13, 2012, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626 "2012-03-13T07:31:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/81 "2012-03-14T21:50:31Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Don’t worry. WE know how to laugh at ourselves. This is not a true statement. This post proves its own falseness. The correct response would have been to laugh at yourself. Show, not tell. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/82 "2012-03-14T21:55:59Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > Well, that was the aim of this thread, ie, to figure out why there is such notion about exclusively these two country folks whether it is true or stereotype. Well, I think part of the issue is that you’re describing these women as having ‘bad’ teeth - they don’t have ‘bad’ teeth - they have crooked teeth - clearly not the same thing. I would say if you had linked to images like this you would have gotten less flack: > **[rotten teeth - Google Search](http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&sugexp=frgbld&gs_nf=1&cp=9&gs_id=x&xhr=t&q=rotten%2Bteeth&safe=off&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=939&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=3hNhT5OiMu3ImAWlg4GTCA)** ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/83 "2012-03-14T22:12:46Z")
I didn’t know about Japanese people’s fondness for crooked teeth and as for “Bad Teeth” I’m at fault for using [a stereotype lingo](http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/in-japan-theres-a-trend-to-make-straight-teeth-crooked-are-you-attracted-to-physical-imperfection/question-2240591/?page=4&link=ibaf&q=japanese%2Bbad%2Bteeth%2Bimages&imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ocC4LGQZwEs/SgfxRQUPqkI/AAAAAAAAKHE/9bh90ujWZo4/s400/yaeba046.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/84 "2012-03-14T23:15:36Z")
> [@candyman74](#): > > this is not a true statement. This post proves its own falseness. > > The correct response would have been to laugh at yourself. > > Show, not tell. hahahahahahahah!! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/85 "2012-03-14T23:18:26Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > So does that indicate British going Hollywood? If people on media all have white and straight teeth, I’d think it would affect the norm sorta like the skinny model phenomena. Well, there’s definitely cultural flow - we’re increasingly adopting a whole load of things that are commonplace in America - US branded fast food, enormous fridges, and yes, cosmetic dentistry (which serves to make the ‘bad teeth’ stereotype even more annoying, because it’s less true today than ever). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/86 "2012-03-14T23:23:37Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > Well, that was the aim of this thread, ie, to figure out why there is such notion about exclusively these two country folks whether it is true or stereotype. Tell me honestly; When you opened this thread, how had you arrived at the notion that “many of them do have noticeably bad teeth”. Was it a conclusion you drew after lots of personal observations of British/Japanese people, or is it something you already heard somewhere, that was then reinforced by one or two examples? ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/87 "2012-03-14T23:36:29Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Tell me honestly; When you opened this thread, how had you arrived at the notion that “many of them do have noticeably bad teeth”. Was it a conclusion you drew after lots of personal observations of British/Japanese people, or is it something you already heard somewhere, that was then reinforced by one or two examples? It was something that I’ve noticed over the years and the recent discussion subject of dental care and British gov subsidized dental care system brought the focus on it, for me. And let’s not beat around the bush there are plenty of stereotype stuff out there. I wanted to discuss why and what caused it. Say for example we don’t say Polish people or Koreans have “bad teeth”. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/88 "2012-03-14T23:45:38Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > It was something that I’ve noticed over the years and the recent discussion subject of dental care and British gov subsidized dental care system brought the focus on it, for me. And let’s not beat around the bush there are plenty of stereotype stuff out there. I wanted to discuss why and what caused it. Say for example we don’t say Polish people or Koreans have “bad teeth”. Do you think “Why are all Americans stupid?” as a thread title would be appropriate? All Americans aren’t stupid. All British people don’t have bad teeth. Both stereotypes exist. We should be fighting stereotypes, not promoting them. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/89 "2012-03-14T23:55:46Z")
The “Japanese have bad teeth” thing maybe has roots in [the old propaganda posters](http://www.guidespot.com/guides/world_war_ii_posters)? That’s the only place I’ve ever seen it before - in WW2 era depictions of Tojo. [On a quick glance I don’t see any with his mouth open, though,](http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-us&tbm=isch&q=hideki%20tojo&ct=broad-revision&cd=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X) so I don’t know if he actually had the buck teeth he’s usually depicted with in propaganda. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/90 "2012-03-15T00:08:28Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > It was something that I’ve noticed over the years and the recent discussion subject of dental care and British gov subsidized dental care system brought the focus on it, for me. And let’s not beat around the bush there are plenty of stereotype stuff out there. I wanted to discuss why and what caused it. Say for example we don’t say Polish people or Koreans have “bad teeth”. The trouble with stereotypes is that they take on an existence that is independent of facts. They may have (or _have had_) some basis in reality, and it’s nearly always possible to hand pick examples that appear to confirm the stereotype, but that still doesn’t make it useful for anything, except in a social sense of reinforcing or creating prejudice, and maintaining a sense of superiority - usually of the group expressing it over other groups outside. These factors - _not_ any particular correlation with tangible reality - are the things that help to make stereotypes popular and persistent). ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/91 "2012-03-15T00:20:31Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > and in fact some women get caps put on their canines to make them look more crowded. In fact, some of the pictures of Japanese teeth posted are the same I’ve seen on articles about this cosmetic practice (so, actually, those might be FAKE “bad” teeth). Googling some of the articles in both English and Japanese sites, it looks like this is over-reported. Most of what I can find in Japanese is about straightening teeth, with women (but who knows what percent) saying they dislike their crooked teeth. I wouldn’t surprise me if there were women who get caps for that reason. I’ve seen a few people with bright blue hair, so you’ll always get people doing crazy things, but it doesn’t seem to be a really big trend. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/92 "2012-03-15T00:24:48Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The trouble with stereotypes is that they take on an existence that is independent of facts. They may have (or _have had_) some basis in reality, and it’s nearly always possible to hand pick examples that appear to confirm the stereotype, but that still doesn’t make it useful for anything, except in a social sense of reinforcing or creating prejudice, and maintaining a sense of superiority - usually of the group expressing it over other groups outside. These factors - _not_ any particular correlation with tangible reality - are the things that help to make stereotypes popular and persistent). Exactly. There’s admittedly no group in the world which isn’t stereotyped. British, American, female, Jewish, black, Irish. The list includes everyone. So I guess one can argue “it happens to me too, and I don’t mind, so it’s OK”. Usually made by white American males. One could also make the better argument “let’s all try not to do that because it’s not very nice” I find the latter more compelling. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/93 "2012-03-15T00:33:41Z")
_rattles teeth_ [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_ORKLaozFzo/hqdefault.jpg "Dead Kennedys - Kill the Poor Music Video") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ORKLaozFzo) ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/94 "2012-03-15T01:18:52Z")
I’m an American who works in New York in Fortune 100 companies with a fair number of Brits. My own teeth are nothing special and I have not had any cosmetic work done on them. I don’t notice any difference between most Americans’ and Brits’ teeth although I am not normally looking at or focusing on teeth. Once in a rare while, I do meet a Brit at work with unusually crooked teeth by American standards. Maybe 1 - 2% of Brits at work have teeth so crooked that I actually notice. Usually only poor Americans have teeth like this. I have never seen Americans at work with odd looking teeth. Also in rock music the guys with crooked or odd teeth tend to be Brits: David Bowie, Bill Nelson of BeBop Deluxe, the singer from Portion Control, etc. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/95 "2012-03-15T02:10:23Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > Also in rock music the guys with crooked or odd teeth tend to be Brits: David Bowie, Bill Nelson of BeBop Deluxe, the singer from Portion Control, etc. Examples: [Bowie in the 60’s before he fixed his teeth](http://www.gigwise.com/photos/38986/1/The-Worst-Teeth-In-Music) [Bill Nelson interview](http://youtu.be/oq94dFB1B2w) [Portion Control - Addiction Rising](http://youtu.be/ZVoZWCNcWEs) Note I am a big fan of all of these guys. I am just providing some datapoints that support my observations. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/96 "2012-03-15T02:15:51Z")
Actually there are many Brits here: [Worst Teeth In Music](http://www.gigwise.com/photos/38986/1/The-Worst-Teeth-In-Music) ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/97 "2012-03-15T04:10:54Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > Britain: a humourless wasteland. 😃 \<-------------(Not dental commentary. Genuinely amused.) ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/98 "2012-03-15T04:31:57Z")
I only scanned the thread, so someone may have already made this point…but my WAG is that Americans have very straight, white teeth, which Americans characterize as “good” because it is a cultural priority driven imo by Hollywood setting the standards. I have several teenage nieces and nephews and ALL of them have or have had braces, even for minor irregularities. The reason (again my wag) that Japanese and Brits stand out to Americans as having “bad” teeth is because we are most exposed to them in person and on tv. It’s highly probable that people from Iceland and Paraguay also have crooked, discolored teeth but we don’t encounter these people much in person or in the media. Btw, Americans would also have “bad” teeth if they didn’t sink so much money into orthodontia and cosmetic teeth whitening. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/99 "2012-03-15T07:17:58Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > I only scanned the thread, so someone may have already made this point…but my WAG is that Americans have very straight, white teeth, which Americans characterize as “good” because it is a cultural priority driven imo by Hollywood setting the standards. I have several teenage nieces and nephews and ALL of them have or have had braces, even for minor irregularities. > > The reason (again my wag) that Japanese and Brits stand out to Americans as having “bad” teeth is because we are most exposed to them in person and on tv. It’s highly probable that people from Iceland and Paraguay also have crooked, discolored teeth but we don’t encounter these people much in person or in the media. Btw, Americans would also have “bad” teeth if they didn’t sink so much money into orthodontia and cosmetic teeth whitening. I totally agree with all this. I have also said that this stereotype of Brits having bad teeth seems to be unique to Americans, which in my eyes weakens the case. Most stereotypes are pretty universal across nations (French are rude, Americans are loud, Germans are efficient etc etc). The French don’t say the Brits have bad teeth. Not does anyone else as far as I know. So it’s an American issue, not a British one. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626/100 "2012-03-15T07:19:52Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > I don’t think Brits should have to defend their dentistry when there’s no evidence that British teeth are actually worse. TBH, given the huge differences in costs for individuals needing their teeth fixed it seems likely that British poor people probably have better teeth. I think I’ve talked about Lt. Valencia before (not his name). The son of an American father and Spanish mother, both artists, he’d spent his childhood summers visiting Grandma in the US; unlike his classmates, he’d gone to the dentist religiously every six months throughout his childhood. He despised the state of Spanish teeth… until teenage rebellion brought him to join the US Army (when your parents are bohemian, lefty artistes, the Army is the most radical choice short of becoming a monk), where he was assigned to work as a dentist’s assistant. For the first time in his life he found himself looking, not at creamy teeth with some overlap, but at people younger than himself with missing teeth or with 10 caries. Unfilled, of course. When I met him he was in ROTC and trying to get into Dentistry school; he wanted to stay in the Army for as long as he could, because he saw it as “the one place in this country where those 17yo with missing, blackened teeth can get dentistry.” > [@brittekland](#): > > So does that indicate British going Hollywood? If people on media all have white and straight teeth, I’d think it would affect the norm sorta like the skinny model phenomena. Spanish actors get Hollywood teeth when they’re trying to get Hollywood contracts. Those who aren’t, generally don’t - and if they do, they often accompany it with other “touch ups” and the rags move them from “pretty person” to “big target”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-brits-and-japanese-have-bad-teeth/615626.md?page=6)