No longer will it be known as East Virginia!

IT'S A MAN'S LIFE IN THE BRITISH DENTAL ASSOCIATION

Snopes debunked this years ago, not like they suddenly discovered dental hygiene over there.

In terms of health, the UK has one of the lowest rates of tooth decay in the world; They don't, however, have the same bizarre fixation on perfectly straight and glow-in-the-dark white as Americans, from which we get this myth.

Came for Lemming. Leaving satisfied.

But they're still the nanny state that seeks to regulate every single aspect of a citizens life no matter how mundane, and for their own protection, right?

Europe proudly proclaims themselves "liberal", "progressive", "Socialist", etc and make no excuses for it, ok fine. And yet Julian Assange was arrested for not wearing a condom? I thought progressive governments didn't care what people did in their bedrooms. Another myth busted I guess.

Shouldn't this have an UNLIKELY tag?

nice work sasquatchy

One toothless study does not a cliché destroy.

pla: They don't, however, have the same bizarre fixation on perfectly straight and glow-in-the-dark white as Americans, from which we get this myth.

I hate to break it to you guys, but orthodontics is an important part of dental health. Addressing just cavities kind of misses the point of comprehensive dental health.

Is dental care part of the NHS by the way?

I don't see the problem for Fark.

Rest of the world -----------------------

Britain dramatically improved ------------

Britain not too long ago -----------------

/drtfa

If the balloon headline from yesterday is any proof they're still going quite strong. Slow-mo thread turned Brit vs Yank flaming over a couple good natured posts.

What are we going to do? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW?!

How will we make fun of the British now...

drewkumo: pla: They don't, however, have the same bizarre fixation on perfectly straight and glow-in-the-dark white as Americans, from which we get this myth.

I hate to break it to you guys, but orthodontics is an important part of dental health. Addressing just cavities kind of misses the point of comprehensive dental health.

Necessary orthodontics is covered by the NHS. A tooth right out of alignment will be braced and put back into alignment. However, a slightly crooked tooth or a tiny gap in the front teeth is not considered cause for panic.

I rather suspect that the US obsession with perfect teeth comes more from the fact that your dentists have a financial interest in persuading you to get every last imperfection sorted out no matter how unnecessary.

"Ma'am, during the check up I noticed a small gap (in my bank balance). But we can fix that right up with a few hours work."

drewkumo: Is dental care part of the NHS by the way?

Yes.

pla: In terms of health, the UK has one of the lowest rates of tooth decay in the world

In general I agree, there's a difference between "dental health" and "America's idea of 'good teeth'" and you can certainly have the former without the later. Diastema, for example, is rarely a dental problem, but is often corrected in the US anyway.

But to be picky, the study mostly tracks the incidence of dental treatment, and in some cases to-date outcomes that may or may not be positively impacted by previous dental treatments, not the actual incidence of dental problems -- if the British have a higher tolerance for dental issues and therefore let them go untreated for longer their treatment incidence could be lower even with a similar or higher level of underlying problems.

Mayhem_2006: I rather suspect that the US obsession with perfect teeth comes more from the fact that your dentists have a financial interest in persuading you to get every last imperfection sorted out no matter how unnecessary.

It's probably best not to compare the sometimes perverse financial incentives of US dental care and the NHS -- they both have pretty glaring, well-documented flaws.

What it comes down to in both cases is finding a dentist who does what you want. Some people want their dentist to correct every minor misalignment and to fill every pre-cavity depression. Some people just want to do the minimum work necessary for health teeth. It's all a matter of finding a dentist who understands and respects your treatment goals, just like any other commercial service.

For a long while the UK has had better dental health than the USA, they merely are not so willing to do the aesthetic surgeries that give the appearance of perfection (whilst they could actually be rotting).

Anecdata time:

I am a Brit, once upon a time when I was a little wabbit some tosser lamped me in the face and killed two of my teeth, not knocked out, just killed the nerves. I went to an NHS dentist and the teeth were saved, but the two dead ones slowly turned black as they no longer contain any living tissue. I've kept them as a reminder to assume that everyone is a dick until proven wrong, but last time I went for a checkup (on the NHS natch) I asked about how much it would cost to have all of my teeth fronted with porcelain or something so they would be lovely and white and very american. I was offered the procedure on the NHS if I wanted to wait a month, or I could have it done the same day for £500 as a private patient.

Still got them, I have no desire to have movie star teeth.

pla: Snopes debunked this years ago, not like they suddenly discovered dental hygiene over there.

In terms of health, the UK has one of the lowest rates of tooth decay in the world; They don't, however, have the same bizarre fixation on perfectly straight and glow-in-the-dark white as Americans, from which we get this myth.

So true, so true. I used to read all this stuff about "British Teeth" and couldn't figure out what the big deal was. Having lived in the UK for several years, I couldn't recall anyone I knew over there with truly terrible teeth. I see more people here in the US with just god awful teeth. Take a drive through central PA and you'll see some real dental horrors.

/spent a lot of my xmas money on a root canal on Monday

Mayhem_2006: I rather suspect that the US obsession with perfect teeth comes more from the fact that your dentists have a financial interest in persuading you to get every last imperfection sorted out no matter how unnecessary.

Yeah, I think your right. The problem is that here dental care is often not covered by insurance, and if it is the insurance sometimes only covers 2 yearly checkups. So usually people that can afford dental care will go and get braces (because that is what orthodontists here do for every child with crooked teeth), while in the UK the service is socialized and dentists aren't incentivized to fix non-problematic orthodontic problems. Also people are already looking at spending big money at the dentist, so they usually go in with the attitude they are going to get everything fixed.

I would say for the most part that while American's may have straighter/whiter teeth on average it is nothing like our television or movies where literally everyone has perfectly straight, white teeth - except British people.

Jamieboy: I see more people here in the US with just god awful teeth. Take a drive through central PA and you'll see some real dental horrors.

I'll second that. Try working as a dental assistant in Northwest PA, I saw some real treats.