# Why do people missing a front tooth look like they're an idiot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 24, 2017, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522 "2017-08-24T05:31:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/1 "2017-08-24T05:31:39Z")
I’m talking about adults, not kids. Why does an adult missing a front tooth look like they have an IQ of 5? Every comic strip and movie involving someone with a missing front tooth has them portrayed as a dope. Take a pic of someone and blacken out one of their front teeth and the first thought is “duh!”. Even a picture of Einstein. Why do many of us think this? What’s the psychology of this? ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/2 "2017-08-24T05:57:24Z")
I always associate that “look” with the stereotypical backwoods, Appalachian good ol’ boy. Which is, in a more general sense, often associated with lower intelligence. Why _that_ is, however, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/3 "2017-08-24T06:56:38Z")
It’s a class marker, and those factor heavily into how we perceive intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/4 "2017-08-24T10:26:01Z")
Personally, I think I mostly associate missing teeth with a tendency to drink a lot. Like, who’s \*really \*drunk in [this painting](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Ilja_Jefimowitsch_Repin_-_Reply_of_the_Zaporozhian_Cossacks_-_Yorck.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/5 "2017-08-24T10:53:02Z")
I don’t know the answer but Norm McDonald had a bit about that how you could be the world’s smartest, like preeminent physicist or something speaking at a symposium but missing your front tooth and getting ridiculed and laughed off the stage. ---
**Author:** ![Onyerbike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onyerbike/32/5402_2.png) [@Onyerbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onyerbike)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/6 "2017-08-24T11:25:19Z")
A WAG here but if you had bad/missing teeth it might mean you couldn’t afford a dentist, and were thus poor. Being poor and stupid has a long, baseless history. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/7 "2017-08-24T11:25:53Z")
Also, a likely cause of a missing front tooth is a fist in the face. And generally, fist-in-the-face is lower class. Duelling scars, now that’s upper class! Also, dentures and bridges cost money. ---
**Author:** ![igor\_frankensteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@igor\_frankensteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/igor_frankensteen)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/8 "2017-08-24T11:50:28Z")
Yeah, it’s just long standing cultural training. Propaganda. Once long ago, someone with a tan was thought to be obviously defective too. ---
**Author:** ![igor\_frankensteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@igor\_frankensteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/igor_frankensteen)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/9 "2017-08-24T11:56:58Z")
Yeah, just deeply well established cultural propaganda/training. Just my considered opinion, but I think ultimately it’s one of the MANY illogical assumptions people train themselves to make, in response to their inner drive to look down their noses at anyone who they need an excuse to misbehave towards. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/10 "2017-08-24T12:23:24Z")
> [@Onyerbike](#): > > A WAG here but if you had bad/missing teeth it might mean you couldn’t afford a dentist, and were thus poor. Being poor and stupid has a long, baseless history. not quite “baseless” correlation: > **[Is there a correlation between being smart and wealthy?](https://www.quora.com/Is-there-a-correlation-between-being-smart-and-wealthy)** > > Answer (1 of 63): ou do not have to have a high intelligence index to become rich. > > People with an under-average intelligence index can become as rich as people in similar circumstances but with higher intelligence. > > People are not becoming rich... [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jay\_Zagorsky/publication/222681959\_Do\_you\_have\_to\_be\_smart\_to\_be\_rich\_The\_impact\_of\_IQ\_on\_wealth\_income\_and\_financial\_distress/links/547f21d60cf2de80e7cc7641/Do-you-have-to-be-smart-to-be-rich-The-impact-of-IQ-on-wealth-income-and-financial-distress.pdf](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jay_Zagorsky/publication/222681959_Do_you_have_to_be_smart_to_be_rich_The_impact_of_IQ_on_wealth_income_and_financial_distress/links/547f21d60cf2de80e7cc7641/Do-you-have-to-be-smart-to-be-rich-The-impact-of-IQ-on-wealth-income-and-financial-distress.pdf) > **[Correlations Of IQ With Income And Wealth - Sociological Images](https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2008/02/06/correlations-of-iq-with-income-and-wealth/)** > > The Society Pages (TSP) is an open-access social science project headquartered in the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota > **[The incredible correlation between IQ & income](https://pumpkinperson.com/2016/02/11/the-incredible-correlation-between-iq-income/)** > > \[Update May 25, 2024: A much more up to date version of this article can be found here\] In this post, I summarize all that I have learned about the actual test scores of different income levels.  I… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/11 "2017-08-24T14:37:33Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > not quite “baseless” correlation: > > [https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-relationship-between-intelligence-and-wealth](https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-relationship-between-intelligence-and-wealth) > > [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jay\_Zagorsky/publication/222681959\_Do\_you\_have\_to\_be\_smart\_to\_be\_rich\_The\_impact\_of\_IQ\_on\_wealth\_income\_and\_financial\_distress/links/547f21d60cf2de80e7cc7641/Do-you-have-to-be-smart-to-be-rich-The-impact-of-IQ-on-wealth-income-and-financial-distress.pdf](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jay_Zagorsky/publication/222681959_Do_you_have_to_be_smart_to_be_rich_The_impact_of_IQ_on_wealth_income_and_financial_distress/links/547f21d60cf2de80e7cc7641/Do-you-have-to-be-smart-to-be-rich-The-impact-of-IQ-on-wealth-income-and-financial-distress.pdf) > > [Correlations Of IQ With Income And Wealth - Sociological Images](https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2008/02/06/correlations-of-iq-with-income-and-wealth/) > > [The incredible correlation between IQ & income | Pumpkin Person](https://pumpkinperson.com/2016/02/11/the-incredible-correlation-between-iq-income/) None of those cites provide any connection whatsoever between between poor and stupid. They do show a connection between wealth and education and class and opportunity, which are totally different values than poor and stupid. There is a correlation between income and IQ, but as those same cites say in so many words, IQ is not the same thing as actual intelligence and income is correlated with other factors than simple intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/12 "2017-08-24T15:09:19Z")
Keep in mind, some of the missing tooth = stupid correlation comes from entertainment. Blacking out a tooth is a simple makeup trick as compared to say, fitting a denture with crooked teeth. The association might be perpetuated by how easy it is to show onstage or on film. ---
**Author:** ![Pippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b5a626/32.png) [@Pippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pippers)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/13 "2017-08-24T19:47:05Z")
> [@Ignotus](#): > > Personally, I think I mostly associate missing teeth with a tendency to drink a lot. Like, who’s \*really \*drunk in [this painting](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Ilja_Jefimowitsch_Repin_-_Reply_of_the_Zaporozhian_Cossacks_-_Yorck.jpg)? Ack! My first thought when the pic came up was ‘the smell’. That pic literally reeks of unwashed bodies. I associate missing teeth with a person that doesn’t take care of themself. Someone who’s hygiene isn’t good. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/14 "2017-08-24T20:07:09Z")
Very bad teeth and gums can lead to heart disease. > **[Periodontal Disease and Heart Health](https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/periodontal-disease-heart-health)** > > Does a healthy mouth equal a healthy heart? WebMD talks to heart and dental experts who debate whether there's a connection. Visual signs like bleeding guns or missing teeth are a social stigma. It’s an indication that the person isn’t taking care of themselves. Dental Care is expensive. My dental policy only covers half the cost of expensive procedures. It does pay 100% for yearly exams and cleanings. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/15 "2017-08-24T20:35:16Z")
My son has a broken front tooth as a result of a bike accident when he was a kid. A fairly large piece is missing. The dentist fashioned something to replace the piece, but every once in a while it breaks off again. The kid is now grown, and owes us a fair amount of money already, but if his tooth breaks I’m going to feel the need to pay for a fix. I don’t see how we can expect the kid to get ahead in life looking like that! ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/16 "2017-08-24T23:39:09Z")
\*\* Why do people missing a front tooth look like they’re an idiot? I’m talking about adults, not kids.\*\* I would say it makes kids look like idiots too. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/17 "2017-08-25T00:55:24Z")
I blame Mad. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/18 "2017-08-25T01:29:33Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > \*\* Why do people missing a front tooth look like they’re an idiot? > I’m talking about adults, not kids.\*\* > > I would say it makes kids look like idiots too. But we expect kids to have teeth out as baby teeth get replaced by adult teeth. See a kid with a missing tooth and you know soon it will be replaced. We don’t generally expect a grown man with a suit/tie carrying a briefcase to have a huge gaping hole in his smile. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/19 "2017-08-25T11:54:26Z")
> [@igor\_frankensteen](#): > > Yeah, it’s just long standing cultural training. Propaganda. > > Once long ago, someone with a tan was thought to be obviously defective too. And tattoos, they used to be for sailors and convicts, but times have changed a lot. Somehow I think missing teeth will have a harder time going mainstream, however. Not really sure why. Interestingly, gold teeth seemed to have fallen out of favor. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522/20 "2017-08-25T12:27:41Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > None of those cites provide any connection whatsoever between between poor and stupid. They do show a connection between wealth and education and class and opportunity, which are totally different values than poor and stupid. There is a correlation between income and IQ, but as those same cites say in so many words, IQ is not the same thing as actual intelligence and income is correlated with other factors than simple intelligence. Yet, there is as you agree a correlation between income and IQ, so…like I said…its not entirely baseless. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-missing-a-front-tooth-look-like-theyre-an-idiot/794522.md?page=2)