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by Kristen W on March 25th, 2006

Kristen W

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Why is there a stereotype that British people have bad teeth? Do they really have bad teeth?

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  • by lady fuschia on March 28th, 2006

    lady fuschia

    Well- in terms of actually having "bad" teeth, I'm not sure that there is much more tendency than the rest of the world, although we do sometimes refer to something called a "Hollywood smile" or "All American Smile" - very white, straight and probably cosmetically enchanced teeth, associated with the US, which is sometimes viewed as being quite fake.

    One possible explanation for the rumour is that its incredibly difficult to get a dentist in Britain (particularly if you live in Wales!). Unlike most medical treatments it doesn't come free on the NHS and we get quite resentful about having to pay for it. NHS dentists (the cheaper kind) are becoming like gold dust as they increasingly defect to the better paid Private sector, which is out of most people's price range (£40 for a check up? I don't think so...). I personally know of people who have to travel 200 miles or more to visit a dentist with space on their books - its hardly suprising that a large number of us decide to take our chances and not bother, possibly resulting in a greater tendency towards bad teeth.

    Although just for the record, there's nothing wrong with *my* teeth!

    Comments

    • exactly the 2 points I would've made!
      An american kid once said to me "are you English cos your teeth look like you drink tea" :s

      pigeonpower

      by pigeonpower on December 6th, 2006

    • I can't believe someone rated me down in comparison to some of the other answers here!

      lady fuschia

      by lady fuschia on January 11th, 2007

    • just another legacy of tony blair's.

      trig

      by trig on June 1st, 2007

    • Excellent answer. Don't worry about the downrating - some of the best answers get downrated. I think there are some people who don't like good answers!

      Prunesquallor

      by Prunesquallor on June 13th, 2008

    • I heard it's because they are always portrayed as drinking lots of sugary tea.

      ACCOUNT CLOSED

      by ACCOUNT CLOSED on August 1st, 2008

    • LF's answer amply demonstrates why many people in Britain have bad teeth - bad attitudes and the wrong approach to health.

      You don't want to pay X for dental check ups/dental work but what price do you put on your health? When its gone, its gone.

      The NHS was and is a dog of a health service and in recent years, it has been responsible for the deaths of many people, because of their BS and unbelievable attitudes and decisions towards people.

      You can have a good and positive experiences with the NHS, but its generally not expected. Now I am in the USA, I find I am paying a bit more overall for health-related costs (health insurance, if you get it through your job, is on par with NI deductions), but its so worth it and I have had only positive experiences with services and staff here, who are so different from my long British experiences.

      E.G. smart medical offices, modern equipment and techniques, happy positive and very knowledgeable staff including admin staff who always seem to love their jobs and smile at you when you come in, etc., and YOU choose who you want to go and see and also when.
      Appointments are easy to get, same or next day in most cases.

      The "lack of a dentist in my area" aspect is a recent UK problem and so it is not responsible for the historical state of people's teeth in Britain.
      However, the lack of focus by successive British governments to provide proper funding for dentistry, an essential service in my view, exemplifies, with crystal clarity, the indifferent and disinterested British approach to this aspect of their health and which corroborates my answer to this question.

      American-In-Training

      by American-In-Training on June 13th, 2010

    • American, your answer is as apposite as it is prompt.

      Prunesquallor

      by Prunesquallor on June 13th, 2010

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