Bad Teeth in England?

I heard that the people in England have bad teeth. Please describe how are they bad. Do their teeth stain a lot from drinking tea? Are they crooked?etc.

Bad Teeth in England?
What is essentially a myth about Brits (English) having %26#039;bad teeth%26#039; starts with the outbreak of the Second World War when almost all British dentists were called up to serve in the British armed forces, either in their specialism, or to be trained as anaesthetists in surgical units. As a consequence, the few dentists left in the UK were either retired people brought back into practice, or those who were too old for military service. This meant that dental treatments on offer to ordinary people were restricted to emergency work, and the usual annual inspection, extractions and fillings . Dental health, especially for children, was promoted, but no cosmetic work was, or indeed could be offered. Hence children from, say, 1939 to the late 1950s had teeth which were healthy, but had rarely been cosmetically corrected. Thus, a generation of young people grew up with less than a perfect smile. In their later years, many of these people sought appropriate treatment and ended up (rather belatedly!) with %26#039;perfect%26#039; teeth. But others, for what ever reason, e.g., lack of money (don%26#039;t forget that the UK was absolutely on its knees economically following WW2), or because they had other priorities, did not bother with %26#039;vanity%26#039; dental work. Thus the legend grew that _all_ British people had (and still have) crooked/bad teeth.


This is patently not true, of course, but such stories linger on, especially amongst Americans, since it was probably returning US servicemen who started the story after encounters with the %26#039;Got any gum chum?%26#039; little English kids!


However, I can compare the teeth of the young members of the American side of my family with those of my British family, and I can%26#039;t see any difference in their teeth. However, where I _do_ see a difference is in the unnaturally perfect front teeth of some American TV newscasters, whose veneered and capped teeth flash like ice caps in the Arctic sunshine every time they speak. I don%26#039;t think many sane Brits would want to look like that - even if it did help to lay to rest the myth to which your question alluded! As far as having %26#039;tea stained%26#039; teeth is concerned, believe it or not, toothpaste is available in the UK - and, in any case, coffee is now the preferred drink!
Reply:Nice to dispel yet another myth about England! Note to Dr Sam: NHS dentist contracts were amended to the (perceived) detriment of practitioners, so 90% left the NHS. Now most of us have to have expensive dental insurance! Report It

Reply:i worked as a dental nurse and there were alot of kids from all mixed races with vary bad teeth, which meant that they ended having them extracted and then as they grew ended up having braces to straighten them out.


adults as young as 20 are wearing crowns and dentures. its bad and theres alot of conflict with nhs with treatment
Reply:I just thought it was from eating all that English Hereford beef?tuff stuff!
Reply:its true that there is a common(mis-)beleif that the english do not take very good care of thier teeth. my husband however is originally from england and his teeth are absolutely gorgeous!!!
Reply:Wow, avian, this is the first time I%26#039;ve heard a plausible explanation and I%26#039;m going to remember to come back and vote yours as the best answer.





We have to add, though, that the deplorable NHS has done a lot to perpetuate the belief that you can%26#039;t have decent teeth in England. My British patient - the dental hygienist who comes to see me in the USA twice a year for her own cleanings - tells me that more and more dentists in the UK are leaving the NHS and going private. There must be a reason.



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