The dental industry in America is massive. Why is it such an important part of the American lifestyle?
It’s hard to eat without teeth and we like to eat.
Because all of our food is stuffed with sugar and our teeth rot rapidly as a result.
I’m American, but I’ve lived in several different countries pretty much my whole life.
Culturally, America is a little weird about keeping up appearances no matter the cost. That’s not exclusively an American thing, obviously, but in my experience, we’re the absolute worst at this. People will do absolutely, wildly insane and irresponsible shit to make sure they look like they have their shit together, including getting into debt. Again, I know this all happens overseas too, but everything is louder, flashier, bigger here, and so is this.
One of the biggest cultural problems that we have is the deeply ingrained idea that poverty is the result of poor choices, stupidity, etc. — and when I say “deeply ingrained”, I mean deeply ingrained. Most people don’t even realize that they feel that way, and even people who are poor through absolutely no fault of their own may believe deep down that it is their fault and they’re worthless or stupid etc. Once again, the idea that people are poor because they make bad choices is not uniquely American by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s orders of magnitude more deeply ingrained and pervasive here, so much so that just looking like you’re poor in can ruin your chances in life.
What does that have to do with teeth? Well, they’re an indicator of socioeconomic status here. I have a snaggle tooth that I’m only self-conscious about when I’m here. People notice, they will literally avert their eyes when they see it, and I instinctively hide it to the point of avoiding smiling altogether. When I’m in Japan, or Ireland (or really anywhere in Europe), not only do I not feel self-conscious at all, but it’s not hard to find other snaggle-toothed people, all smiling without a care in the world. As long as your teeth aren’t rotten or something, nobody seems to care.
Every time I’ve been to the dentist in the US, they’ve mentioned that tooth like it’s a problem that needs to be corrected, even though there’s nothing wrong with it other than the fact that it’s not straight like my other teeth. They offer braces, extractions, all kinds of shit. I keep my mouth very clean and I’ve never had a cavity in my life (I’m 42), I just have this one weird lil tooth.
When I go to the dentist overseas, they never really bring it up. They check my teeth for cavities etc. compliment my oral health, and send me on my way. The only time a non-American dentist brought it up was when he asked if it was hurting my upper lip or anything of that nature. No one outside the US ever treated it like it was a health issue that needed correction or offered me unsolicited advice for correcting it. (Disclaimer: a snaggle tooth CAN cause health problems if it makes it difficult to clean your mouth etc, but mine doesn’t — please don’t use my words as an excuse not to address issues that may be damaging your oral health).
TLDR: anything other than perfectly straight teeth makes Americans think you’re poor and being poor means you’re lazy/dumb/whatever therefore you must fix it regardless of cost. So it’s a huge industry here.
Great response. It’s one thing to want to have good dental health, it’s something else entirely to want to have every single one of your teeth perfectly aligned, absolutely white and positioned in artificially curated angles.
Honestly I would really disagree with your claim that Americans are more obsessed with appearance and have more of a negative impression of poverty. In the Midwest/South I never saw any judgement of anyone because of their financial situation. It might be more common in coastal cities. I think there are vain people everywhere, and I haven’t noticed any more or less living outside the US. I really don’t understand why you think it’s so much more engrained in the US- and I wonder if it’s because of the people you interacted with in the US vs outside it. (For example maybe being in middle/highschool in the US, which is full of people being judgemental everywhere)
Also we have these neat filling mills called Aspen Dental where you go in and they tell you that you need six fillings right away, and your teeth might fall out while you’re on your way to go get a second opinion.
For a frequent traveler you have never been to Italy or Korea.
Not a traveler, I’ve lived in other countries that’s all.
Did you enjoy your semester of study abroad?
I lived in Europe for 12 years, and and in South America for 10. I was in Europe (mostly in the Netherlands and Ireland) from my late teens through my 20s and in Brazil from age 22 until age 32.
I was not “studying abroad for a semester” but go off I guess.
Doubt.
Waar kom jezelf vandaan? Hoeveel talen spreek je? Begrijpt je me? Se acha muito esperto, mas eu aposto que vc não tá entendendo uma palavra do que eu estou falando. Corre no Google Translate! lmao
I lived in The Netherlands because my father was transferred there when I was 17 and my whole family moved there. I lived in Brazil because my mother was Brazilian and I wanted to experience life there. As for Ireland, my boyfriend was from Galway and I lived with him for a few years before I came home and settled down.
You can go ahead and say I’m lying, but being an asshole on the internet isn’t gonna make your life any better. Maybe focus on personal growth instead of being rude to random people for no reason.
Doubt.
Poor oral health care can have disastrous health results over all.
Also, bad bite hurts so bad… Spending few grand is worth it. Linda like lasik
US spends a lot more on healthcare than anywhere else and dental health is still healthcare. From a quick bit of research it doesn’t seem like they spend significantly more on dental industry than other countries.
US healthcare is expensive for a number of reasons, mainly being health insurance+drug companies like $$$ and own our politicians
We looked across the sea and saw the people who aren’t so obsessed with dentistry.
I’ve been known to skip visiting a doctor after a bad injury. But I will not skip going to the dentist once a toothache starts setting in. If I’m doing things right, archaeologists will find a perfect set of teeth among a pile of dust when they dig up my remains. I do not want to be subjected to even the slightest dental issue!
Ehm, when you notice a toothache, it’s already pretty late. You should see your dentist twice a year and then the cavities can be fixed before they are even noticable.
There was a thing in Japanese culture where women with crooked teeth were considered more beautiful
There was also a trend where braces were extremely popular, because some teen celeb got them. My dentist friend said that even kids with perfect teeth were asking for braces, because it was the fashion at the time.
They are. Don’t kink shame.
Citation needed
Least British Lemmy user
Capitalism -> competitiveness -> trying to look your best -> wanting perfect teeth
Do people in socialist countries not care about physical appearance? Odd since I have known people who live in planned group owned collectives and they didn’t look like any uglier or better than the rest of the population.
I don’t like having cavities.
I don’t want to lose most of my teeth and have to wear dentures in my 60s.
The cleaning I get every 6 months is able to remove crap that regular brushing and flossing doesn’t.
Not being bri’ish
Just kidding, I’m neither lol
Because we can’t afford it.
It can also be read as a sign of which class you’re in. I’d blend decently with middle or upper middle class folks, but my “jacked up teeth” (others’ words, not mine) are a dead giveaway about my socioeconomic background. Fortunately, it’s only really visible on the bottom ones. This is also probably part of why my parents kicked that can down the road until it was my problem.
I’d get braces, except I’m only just at the point (after thousands in repairs) of even having a healthy baseline since I didn’t have access to dental care for years. It’s separate and not included in our normal health insurance, and it’s also not required, so if you’re poor, it’s a cost that often gets delayed or cut altogether. Back when I was a kid or through my early career years when I was just trying to keep myself fed and housed, it probably would have been cheaper. Then I was just plain terrified of what the results would be if I DID go to the dentist. I’m still playing catch up and can’t even get to braces if I wanted to until I get my wisdom teeth pulled, because there just isn’t room otherwise.
Tooth problems can also become more serious health problems if they get bad enough.
