Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if crooked teeth make a person unattractive

134 replies

User6555 · 18/03/2021 23:20

A friend and I were talking and I said about a man we work with being good looking. She said oh he would be if his teeth were straight. Aibu to think people are still be good looking with teeth that aren’t straight

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Babygotblueyes · 19/03/2021 00:13

Depends how bad they are. Very few people have perfect teeth and sometimes it can be quite cute. But if they are very crooked - yes, it makes a difference. I had a boyfriend years ago whose teeth were really bad - he was a lovely guy but so many people commented on his teeth and a coworker even told me that they thought it was holding him back from promotion! It was so sad, as he was not bad looking, but once he opened his mouth..... I tried to support him to go to the dentist but he was not having any of it.

ReggaetonLente · 19/03/2021 00:17

I have a snaggle tooth and think about getting it fixed all the time but DH genuinely loves it! He'd be so upset!

I live in a country that prizes crooked teeth as a sign of youth, they are definitely considered attractive here. DH is not actually from this country, its just a coincidence!

Elouera · 19/03/2021 00:28

@ReggaetonLente- Out of interest, which country prizes crooked teeth? Italy?

QueenPaw · 19/03/2021 00:32

I'm so self conscious of mine Sad have whitened them as much as they will go but I still feel they're yellow and adding that to them being a bit crooked.. I mean they're not awful but I have a bit of a thing about them. Which is stupid because if I was looking at a man who had the same teeth as me I wouldn't think twice!

Bad breath is the only thing that would put me off

ReggaetonLente · 19/03/2021 03:24

@Elouera Japan! And South Korea.

en0la · 19/03/2021 03:31

It didn't stand in Freddy Mercury's way did it ?

grannyinapram · 19/03/2021 03:32

tom Hardy
I'm sure he said he would never get his teeth done in an interview presumably American interviewer as his teeth aren't that bad

interest12 · 19/03/2021 03:39

Oh yeah bad teeth are a no go for me. And I’ve seen people spend 1000s on plastic surgery, fancy clothes, etc etc but still have crooked teeth. Fixing that alone would make so much more do an improvement. I’m not the UK though so obvs different perspective

cerseii · 19/03/2021 03:40

Everyone has their own preferences - this would be a deal breaker for me. I do have straight, clean, white teeth myself though, so that likely sets my expectations.

Most people with crooked teeth are offered braces as a child, so in some cases those with poor teeth as an adult are those that didn’t carry out maintenance/don’t look after them.

I wouldn’t date someone that had poor dental hygiene either. There was a thread recently where the OP’s partner went weeks without brushing his teeth - he needed to be promoted to brush when they started dating so it wasn’t a new thing; all I could think was how did he even get as far as fathering her children.

WhipperSnapperSteve · 19/03/2021 03:47

Well, I have dentures in my 40s. Luckily I'm in a relationship otherwise I'd be stuffed judging by the responses!

Mypathtriedtokillme · 19/03/2021 04:54

I don’t mind well cared for crooked teeth.
There is something attractive and human about them.
The day-glow white slightly too large, unnaturally straight “fixed” teeth are deeply unattractive.

tangerinelollipop · 19/03/2021 08:01

It didn't stand in Freddy Mercury's way did it

His huge teeth looked so good in him! And helped project his voice apparently

NormanStangerson · 19/03/2021 08:02

@TableFlowerss

You’re friends a dick! People can still be gorgeous despite have less than perfect teeth. In the same way people with perfect aren’t necessarily gorgeous.

Not many people are picture perfect in real life and if he had a nice face and was a nice guy then I wouldn’t be out off by his teeth!

She’s not a dick. That’s just something that bothers her. A personal preference. You might not like people with beards. Doesn’t make you a dick.
GreatTeaMonkey · 19/03/2021 08:12

Teeth are a real thing with me, I hate bad teeth and it would put me off someone. I can’t imagine kissing someone with bad teeth, I mean like really stained or missing teeth. DH has one crooked tooth which almost put me off him, I don’t notice it now though.

User17930472 · 19/03/2021 08:23

As already said it is subjective. I am a person who will not find somebody attractive because of their teeth. Mine are very straight and square naturally and I love them. Having said that my husband’s teeth aren’t amazing. Straight on top, not bottom, and he is missing a few; so I don’t have unrealistic expectations - just a nice smile.

Zenithbear · 19/03/2021 08:38

I prefer perfect teeth on me. I've had them whitened and a bit of bonding at the dentist and I love my smile. On other people it doesn't bother me how crooked their teeth are as long as they aren't really yellow teeth or have bad breath.

sammylady37 · 19/03/2021 08:46

Crooked teeth wouldn’t put me off someone but rotten teeth or bad dental hygiene would

ThePlantsitter · 19/03/2021 08:54

I don't think any type of physical attribute should be a deal breaker. Surely you find someone attractive or you don't and the reasons don't really matter. An attitude or life choice can be deal-breaker (like not wanting kids) but hasn't anyone experienced being attracted to someone they on paper shouldn't be? Am I just a sex fiend??

pinkearedcow · 19/03/2021 08:56

I'd prefer natural, healthy crooked teeth to a mouhtful of Simon Cowelesque veneers, which are essentally false teeth. Sadly we have become very Americanised in our attitude to teeth (I mean in a cosmetic sense) in a way other parts of Europe haven't. If you watch European films/TV it is noticeable that the white tombstone effect hasn't taken off there in the same way.

BrandyandDeath · 19/03/2021 08:58

I don't give a shit. Some of the best, most interesting men I have known have bad teeth.

pinkearedcow · 19/03/2021 09:00

it doesn't bother me how crooked their teeth are as long as they aren't really yellow teeth

I might be talking rubbish but aren't naturally yellow teeth meant to be stronger? Might be an urban myth though.

Bluntness100 · 19/03/2021 09:03

Depends on how crooked. It can be distracting and bad teeth in general can be unattractive.

oneglassandpuzzled · 19/03/2021 09:03

@cerseii

Everyone has their own preferences - this would be a deal breaker for me. I do have straight, clean, white teeth myself though, so that likely sets my expectations.

Most people with crooked teeth are offered braces as a child, so in some cases those with poor teeth as an adult are those that didn’t carry out maintenance/don’t look after them.

I wouldn’t date someone that had poor dental hygiene either. There was a thread recently where the OP’s partner went weeks without brushing his teeth - he needed to be promoted to brush when they started dating so it wasn’t a new thing; all I could think was how did he even get as far as fathering her children.

In England you are only offered NHS braces if there's more than a certain degree of crookedness. I had to spend a four-figure sum on my daughter's teeth. We could just about afford it but lots of people couldn't.
Branleuse · 19/03/2021 09:05

it depends on your own preferences

WildOrchids67 · 19/03/2021 09:10

I have a friend who was chatting to a really pretty girl online, but when he met her in person he was completely put off by the state of her teeth, apparently they were quite crooked. All her photos had her pouting, so he didn't know what her teeth were like until he met her. I had braces about 10 years ago. My teeth weren't crooked, but I had a big overbite and a large gap in between my front teeth, plus the shape of my bite was more pointed than rounded. I genuinely feel getting all that sorted made a difference to my attractiveness (I know that sounds shallow), so while I don't mind a little bit of crookedness, it's hard to find someone with severely crooked teeth attractive when I know from experience how they could have them fixed relatively easily.