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!

The English have a long and disgusting history of general unhealthy lifestyles and uncleanlininess which is well documented and referred to in many historical as well as medical texts. Despite the huge advances and education made in healthcare and hygiene over the past 100 years or so, a large percentage of the British population remain either disinterested or dismissive of the value of paying attention to these areas and the teeth is but one visible example of that attitude. Other examples of this attitude are filthy litter-strewn streets, disgusting but usually non-existent public toilets, indifferent refuse collections that leave more waste on the street or pavements than is actually collected and which are then just left in the street to stink and putrify. These shocking low standards often amazes foreign visitors when they come to Britain, but such standards have been present in the English & British psyche for hundreds of years.

my teeth are fine, im english, and my families teeth are all fine, and they all drink tea!! im sure ive seen some americans with bad teeth, and some other contries with no teeth atal. Maybe American dentist are of better standard than ours generally.

yeah there is a stereotype but i dont believe it to be totally true.

Back in the 50s when the appearance of teeth became important in America and such, it was just after the WW2 here. Peoples teeth were in such a bad condition that the country apparently started putting chlorine in water to make it easier to keep their teeth clean. It isnt like this anymore, sure, a few people do have bad teeth but it is nothing on a scale like it was 50 years ago.

Whilst American teeth may generally be better than British, the issue is not one of hygiene but one of stereotyping. According to many Americans: - All Brits have bad teeth - All French smell - All Germans are Nazi's - All Irish are drunk - All Muslims are suicide bombers Etc. etc. Not wanting to go down the same path myself, I have met many Americans (particularly the ones who take the time to leave their own country and experience the wider world) who are not bigots. But unfortunately, the USA is a big country with many people who have no idea what the world is like beyond the mid-west.

I thinl AIT is just trying to wind people up. I thought americans had worsed teeth because of all the junk they eat and all the meth heads over there.

One of my favorite scenes in the TV show Angel: Holtz: What of England? Has it survived the years and destruction? Sahjhan: Yes. It went through a rough patch about sixty years ago, but it's mostly unchanged. Warm beer, boiled meat, bad teeth. That's why I moved to LA. Have you followed this part of the history? American Revolution, manifest destiny, westward expansion, the Beach Boys?

wow, so I guess it comes down to the lack of access to *good dental care? Here's what I have heard: That the reason the English have bad teeth is the lack of floride in their water. Now please, don't call me names or diss my thought too hard. This is just what I heard. So far, I think it's a good theory. OR maybe JUST maybe, the English are just not as superficial as us Americans? We do tend to obsess a little about or looks; Europeans tend to be a little more lax on this issue. So maybe they don't go out and spend a gwap of cash on whittening, braces, cleanings, fillings, bridges, crowns, invisible braces, zoom, yada yada yada, you get the point.... The reason I say this is, when I look at some "stars" who obviously have the cash to spend on a dental makeover, they simply DON'T. So obviously if it's not a priority to British and English celebrities that are in the lime light constantly, why the hell would it be on the to do list of a 'commoner"?????? As always, "please, excuse my grammer and punctuation"

In general, Americans (age 6+) see the dentist on a regular basis for cleaning as well as when there's a problem. This is separate from brushing and flossing at home. Of course, there are always exceptions and many photos can be found of toothless Okies or folks in the Ozarks who have never seen a dentist or a toothbrush.

Absolutely false! Until I was 16, We recieved on our NHS system, dental care. I'm my time I have had 4 teeth removed, braces top and bottom, regular check-up's and cleaning work, and fillings! if you consider the cost of this privately in another country, I would probably say English people have the most frequently checked and serviced Gnashers!

wow. steriotypes are stupid and so are all the steriotypes about Americans. I am so sick of hearing "Many Americans believe, Many Americans are meth heads" I am American and I do my part in learning about the world. I have traveled south america and all of Europe and I don't appreciate hearing that Americans don't know what is past the Mid-West. Saying that while trying to prove a point of ignorance is contradicting yourself. I am sick of being bashed because of where I was born. (And for the record I am an Independant, I do understand the animosity towards Bush.)

Hah!! I dont think there's much of a link between British people and bad teeth. Of course, some do have bad teeth, but I dont think we're any worse than any other nation.

I am british and I have terrible teath! I think it is something to do with the outragously priced dental care system in the UK!

I have been told it's because most English don't like to pay for things they're used to getting on NHS, IE dentists, orthodontists etc. Also, it's not a standard to have perfect white, straight teeth. Versus in America, it's standard to get braces as a teen and usually it's paid out of pocket. It's culture people, Americans do it cause they just do! English dont cause they just dont

I hear stories on the news that they need to pull their own teeth because they can't afford the dentist.

No. No more than anywhere else anyway. Dental treatment is free to children whilst they're still in education, if a child needs braces then they will have braces. I'm not sure where this stereotype comes from, maybe because the older generation didn't have as much access to dental treatment back then with the war and everything, so some old people have crooked teeth. That's all I can think of.

N0, we do not have bad teeth! I'm sorry to say that this stereotypical view is just the result of American insularity to the rest of the world. Yes, Tom Cruise has perfect teeth and so does Jessica Simpson. But equally does David Beckham and Emma Watson. There is clearly no diiference. Americans seem to think they compare the teeth of a whole nation by a few movie stars and Tony Blair- who of which had bad teeth. But no, we do not have bad teeth!

I think that TV has alot with stereotypes about teeth, whether it be British having bad teeth and Americans having white, perfect teeth. When you think of Hollywood you see perfect teeth because they have been modified in 90% of the time. So it is easy to make that assumption that all Americans have those types of teeth. But as an American I can tell you that I have seen many people with poor choppers. On the other hand, what exposure I have on TV of British film and television I see stained teeth, missing teeth and teeth which need braces quite often. But I have British friends and in-laws who have perfect teeth. My point being that if you base your impressions on the media alone it is easy to see how these types of assumptions can be made.

lack of NHS dentists. My teeth are sparkling.

There shouldn't be a stereotype! My teeth are just as white, straight and neatly aligned as anybody elses. It's really unfair that people think this about Brits.

Maybe they are referring to the midieval "Theodoric of York" character as portrayed by Steve Martin on SNL. He and some of the cast members in that skit were made up to have bad teeth.

I dont think its a sterotype at all. From what I've observed even British CELEBRITIES have bad teeth... what's their excuse? Amy Winehouse, Estelle, Elton John, shall I continue?

I have some British Ancestors and I have had bad teeth all of my life. Thank goodness for modern dental procedures, it's hard to tell. also my Great Grandmother had bad teeth too, she had denture by the time she was 20 and that was in the early 1900s. So their might be something to the idea of British people having bad teeth.

Because one has to stereoptype a nation. All US citizens are fat, loud and wear "one size fits all" trousers. No, we do not. No more than any other nation.

The answer is the NHS. In Michael Moore's film Sicko he talks about why the Americans will not give there people a similar system to us. Telling their citizens that socialising medicine is a bad thing thus because we have a free system here it is badly run and not as good as paying through the nose as they do in America. Thus the story is we have bad teeth. Damn Socialism.

From what I've heard, it originates around the same time as the nickname "Limey". That is to say, when American sailors encountered their British equivalents during the 19th century. Limes were sucked on to prevent scurvy, but the acids also tended to erode enamel of the teeth, making them more prone to decay and damage. The American sailors would generally return home with tales of how terrible British teeth were (and, even by the standards of that era on both sides of the Atlantic, they were pretty bad for the reasons stated) and that spread, encompassing not just the sailors but the whole of the British populace.

Yes we do have bad teeth but then maybe so do other nations

honestly i think it is a load of crap i am british i have healthy teeth yeh they may not look as white as you think because i am a smoker the only people that hardly have teeth are the people who take druggs or eat sweats and drink fizzy drinks or get into fight's as you get older your teeth get stronger the time your teeth are at there strongest is when you are in your 20's then through out your 20's they start getting weaker then when you get old they just start falling out cause you put them through so much with the sugar in the stuff you like they start deacaying and get weaker then they will eventualy fall out

I am a Brit and when I came to the US as a child I had over six teeth removed. If I had not I would have my teeth all over the place and would have fit the stereotypical image of a British smile. My dentist and orthodontist said that my jaw was too small for the number of teeth I had. If my case it typical then had I not had the six years of braces and many pulled teeth then I might had found myself in the same state as my cousins who do not have the frequency of access to dentists and never orthodontist and therefore horrible teeth.

I think the bad teeth came from tv mostly. As for American stereotype of not knowing anything outside of America, what do they think we do doing in World History, and Spanish, italian, french, etc. etc. class? In world language you learn all about the country junior and senior year.

steriotypes aside. one thing is they dont have floride in their water like we do. but teeth is all about matenience, all sorts of people have bad teeth.

I think older generations of Brits, those over 40, often have bad teeth. Both my parents have terrible teeth. Younger people, those under 35 at least, have nearly all got lovely teeth - orthodontic treatment was nearly universal when I was at school, unless your teeth were naturally pretty good. Among my friends, all in our twenties, I think I have virtually the worst teeth - in that they are not 'hollywood straight' because I did not have braces. My teeth are pretty crooked, and yet in spite of that I quite often get compliments about them. Compliments are often followed by the phrases 'nice natural teeth' and 'not horrible and fake like American teeth'. Basically, although the Brits like teeth to be relatively straight, and relatively white-ish, we find the American look offputting. Having teeth that are too straight or too white, or obviously aided by orthodontics, is not considered attractive. Over-white teeth are not considered attractive, and neither are super-straight ones. A common description of perfect American teeth is that they look like they have too many teeth. It is thought of as too fake and not good to have that "perfect arches and super-white teeth" look here. I think it is a wider cultural standard - just as Brits don't like that really well-groomed look and prefer something a bit edgier and more individual. Young Brits have good teeth, but not American style. I don't know any younger person who doesn't take care of their teeth, either. I think the problem is that most famous Brits are of an older generation - the vast majority of Brits known to Americans are over 40. Times have changed, and those that grew up in the 70s or later have straighter, whiter teeth.

Ok, UK here. Well my father had yellow teeth, and died in his seventies without ever losing one. That is what *I* call good teeth. Whiteness does not equal strength. Actually, I find excessively white teeth rather ugly.

going down on mary j rotten crotch?? LMAO I crack myself up awhh crap I think I pissed myself

Fear of dentists !! +5

no british men i know have bad teeth. are you perhaps living in steotypicitown?

cheeky or what !its certainally not due to exessive junk food, youve made me want to brush my teeth now! again! bad teeth indeed!

Because you went out to pick up a crack whore, all you saw was the dregs.

We don't. Celebrities do, even the bloody corgi-loving bastard royal family, but most people in England actually have good teeth.