Cavities and smiles

Did you know?

• A dental-plan survey once put the Tooth Fairy’s going rate at about $2 per tooth.
• Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts topped one American poll for the best-looking celebrity teeth.
• Half of people in one smile survey said the smile was the first facial feature they noticed.
• About 32% of Americans in one survey named bad breath as the least attractive trait in coworkers.
• An old estimate put a lifetime of tooth-brushing at about 38½ days.
• One older estimate said 78% of Americans had experienced at least one cavity by age 17.
• Toothpicks are a surprisingly common choking hazard.
• A Michigan poll even found brushing-frequency differences by politics, religion, and sex—Republicans, Protestants, and women reported brushing more often than Democrats, Catholics, and men.

The British-teeth stereotype

The stereotype often confuses straightness and whiteness with dental health. British teeth may look irregular by American cosmetic standards without being unhealthy. One British response described an American woman bullied for “bad” teeth even though she reached 45 without a filling.

American middle-class families have traditionally spent more on orthodontics and cosmetic uniformity. British commenters described that as vanity and noted that braces were once far less common in their schools, although the difference has narrowed.

Austin Powers turned the contrast into an international punchline: visibly crooked teeth became a shorthand for Britishness, while perfectly aligned, bleached teeth became part of the American ideal.

How tooth whitening works

Most bleaching gels use hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. Oxygen molecules move through tiny pores in enamel and dentin and break large stain molecules into smaller pieces, allowing more light to pass through the tooth.

Yellow and light-brown surface staining usually responds best. Deep gray or blue discoloration—sometimes associated with tetracycline taken while teeth were developing—is harder and slower to change.

Results can appear within an hour for some in-office systems, overnight for stronger take-home treatments, or over several days for lower-concentration products. Deep intrinsic stains may take weeks or months and may never respond completely.