Bad teeth are socially unacceptable

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I have bad teeth 'or to put it more accurately many teeth missing . It's due to a combination of bruxism ,dental phobia and poor oral hygiene .My father who has lived in the USA since 1981 was pressing for me to visit him . My stepdaughter had said last year, when she met my father, she'd come with me if I did .

I'd struggle to do so on my own ,which my stepdaughter knows . Even getting to the airport would be difficult for me . Last time I went my mother got me to the airport .

After mentioning about visiting my father said quite pointedly my teeth would be socially unacceptable . He's made similar comments before .

I can afford dentures , but the thought of all my teeth being removed is anxiety provoking . The reason? Last time I had a tooth out I had excruciatingly painful dry rot .

I think I have always been something of a disappointment to both my parents . My mother frequently used to say I was an awkward baby,toddler , young child and teenager etc . My father doesn't say anything much , but the fact he's in contact much more with my reasonably successful sister speaks volumes .

Yup, they are. Mine have been fixed a little with braces, but due to my small jaw, they can't be fixed to match the ideal. The color is slightly off too for various reasons. A bit of it is my fault, but some other reasons are health problems that are out of my control.

Much more an issue in the US than most places.

In the USA actors and actresses are often forced to fix their teeth. I don't think this happens as often in the UK movie and television industry.

It is probably true that Americans have better teeth than the British . I think with my father some of it would be the thought of introducing a very gap toothed me to his middle/ upper middle class circle of friends .

If you dress decently, I don't believe most people will notice your teeth----unless they were really terrible and yellow or something.

People also are usually more tolerant towards older people who don't have the best teeth.

I have zero dress sense . My stepdaughter gets t shirts for me . I only wear a shirt for things like christenings and funerals . My trousers are dark blue/black elasticated ones that most people wouldn't wear .

I think if I won the lottery I'd have two things , a personal chef and a personal clothing consultant .

A single-color button-down shirt and a pair of black trousers will do for most occasions.

I would be much more concerned about the health issues of having bad teeth than social acceptability.

If you don't have dress sense, ask your daughter to help you so that you have a couple of pairs of trousers that match with any color shirt and then just have a few shirts that look good with the color of your skin, eyes, and hair and socks that are dark and shoes that can go with anything, like a nice trainer and a casual dress shoe. Once you have those staples, you can mix and match whatever you wear without fear of messing it up. As long as your clothes are clean, you will look fine.

wear white socks with trainers and dark with a causal dress shoe

My stepdaughter and granddaughters don't make an issue of it . Would they be pleased if I had my teeth done? Yes- but it would have nothing to do with social acceptability .

Last edited by firemonkey on 09 Jan 2020, 11:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

could you ask about getting a "bridge"?

They are probably more concerned about the health risks as well. Bad teeth can really do serious health damage to your whole body. Many people don't realize that they can get big infections that can affect their whole bodies and even heart attacks from poor dental hygiene. If you have any way to get dental work done, that would really be good. Your health is the most important thing.

Why does it matter what ones teeth look like? I would be tempted to find a joke shop and buy some drakula fangs! Then smile!
But teeth appearance does not matter. It is the heart that matters.

Yes, and Dracula fangs would be hilarious. Appearances should not matter but the health risks are important. Also the ability to bite and chew and making sure that the jawbones are strong and not deteriorating are very important.