Wednesday 20 October 2010

Mythbusting: British People Have Bad Teeth

With the recent revelation that Kanye West has replaced his bottom row of teeth with diamonds because "diamonds are cooler" (Extra, extra: Read all about it), I was reminded of yet another pervasive myth surrounding British people - they all have bad teeth.   I can see you nodding your head now... yes, you have heard this one.

Let's start here:  Perhaps you know this man? 




Ok, so clearly Simon's teeth have had a the Hollywood Treatment, but honestly, Brits and their teeth have a bad rep.

The truth is that dental care is not covered by the National Health Service (NHS) for most people. There are exceptions which include pregnant women and children, but most adults (unless on income support) are responsible for paying for their own dental care. 
If you're an American, you're probably wondering what this has to do with anything, but in a culture where people are used to having free medical care provided by the NHS, the idea of paying for what can be classified as medical proceedures seem entirely foreign and people are often unwilling, or some unable, to do it.  The fees are actually quite low at NHS dentists vs private dentists (a crown or even braces would cost only £198) but I have heard, although not experienced personally, that they are waiting lists for many NHS dentists miles long and that even once you register as a patient appointments are hard to come by.

So there actually is a reason and maybe even a twinge of truth about this stereotype in older generations of Britons, but its really time to put this myth to bed once and for all... after we play a fun game!
The teeth below belong to British celebrities.  Play along. Who's teeth are these?
Teeth A
Teeth B

Teeth C








Teeth D

5 comments:

  1. What a fun game! I have no idea. Teeth A definitely has the 'stiff upper lip' :)

    Prince William for Teeth B? Kate Winslet for Teeth C?

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  2. Teeth A totally belong to Daniel Radcliffe. No idea about the others...

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  3. Ding ding ding. We have a teeth A winner!!

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  4. Whose are the others? Dying to know ;)

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  5. I dont think I will have any more guessers, so here are the answers:

    Teeth A = Harry Potter aka Daniel Radcliffe.
    Teeth B = Amy Winehouse
    Teeth C = Kate Moss
    Teeth D = Pete Doherty (ew!)

    So Nebula is my winner which means you get a special prize and the prize is.... A visit from me next week! Hooray for you!

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