Are you surprised when someone in a professional role has bad teeth

[layback]

I met with someone in a senior health role today and was quite surprised by how bad their teeth were, a lot of tartar build up on the front teeth which was really noticeable. Their role is well paid so it made me wonder why they've not had their teeth cleaned.

I am not bashing those who can't access a dentist at all or those with weak teeth or poor genetics. My teeth were pretty rotten and I spent around £8000 over several years fixing them, I was really self conscious about them and it impacted day to day life, I couldn't laugh with my mouth open, I was fearful of anyone noticing my bad teeth it was horrid. So, I saved, used credit cards and slowly had the work needed, I don't have turkey looking teeth just average now but what a difference to my self worth.

I think some people just don't care about that kind of thing, which is fine. I don't think it's something I'd notice. Although i don't think British teeth are as bad as Americans say, we don't really have a 'good teeth/status' thing like they do in the US.

They might not be bothered, they might be scared of dentists. They might not have the money to spend, you don’t know people’s outgoings they might earn lots but you don’t know if they are paying for care for relatives or whatever. Don’t be so judgy not everyone needs to be perfect, they might be happy how they are!

I absolutely hate dental treatment and particularly hygiene treatments. I hate the scraping. I hate the drilling. I hate the patronising lectures. I’m obsessive about cleaning and flossing but still have dental issues and the lectures are all the same each time. I just hate the whole thing. I do get treatments very regularly because I have a very high tolerance for the discomfort but a lot of people don’t and they feel the same way I do towards dental treatment.

The ‘British teeth’ thing is interesting because there have been studies showing that Britons in general have better dental health than Americans! I imagine due to the NHS, problematic as accessing NHS dental care can be in many places. Obviously there’s a strong socio-economic factor too.

I have a think about teeth. Yes, I'm aware people have medical issues, can't afford treatments, lived in poverty as a child etc, but its one thing I absolutely notice. Crooked, missing, discoloured etc. Equally, I noticed the Turkish, overly white and straight smile.

dental phobic doctor PoV - most HCPs are just normal people and for many reasons accessing healthcare may be every bit as difficult for us as it is for you. My teeth don't look great but I'm still still pretty good at the job (and perhaps have a bit more insight into what it's like to be a patient with 'issues' than a some HCPs who don't have the same struggles). If it's a huge issue for you perhaps you should make it clear when booking appointments you only want to be seen by aesthetically acceptable HCPs going forward.

I don’t have great teeth. They are clean as I go regularly to the hygenist but they are very wonky especially at the bottom and I have receding gums. I’m only 46. I would love to get braces but my dentist thinks it will do more harm than good at the moment as I have one very precarious tooth! I need it to fall out then reassess. I notice bad teeth but I don’t judge people. I’m incredibly jealous of people with naturally nice teeth!

Twatty post of the day

I've had teeth removed and braces and I still have wonky teeth, was told I'd need a head brace to try and fix them. No thanks I'll just live with my wonky teeth.

Oh no, sod that!

I agree @layback , I certainly look to those in health promoting roles for inspiration and aspiration in my pursuit of good health.

I don’t know why it surprises me to find that I’m not always looking in the right place.

That issues will cause gum disease and they will eventually lose their teeth. Why do people have such phobias of dentists? Bad experiences? Even if you are, dentists are usually really understanding and can help with this. Not nice to look at or have to deal with they're not flossing and possibly not brushing regular?!

Honestly, no. But i do find bad teeth to be a distraction.

In your op, you mention tartar build up but nothing else. Surely they weren’t that bad.

I would feel sorry for them, because I’m sure they know perfectly well they have bad teeth, and assume a fear of dentists. It’s like judging somebody wealthy for being overweight because surely they could afford a really good gym membership; or for having a drinking problem when they could afford private rehab. For a lot of people it isn’t quite as simple as going to the dentist / losing weight / giving up drinking, it’s psychological.

I hate going to the hygienist, it feels like being waterboarded, and I have to book a double session so that I can take breaks every minute. If I had an even worse real phobia of it, I wouldn’t go.

…I wouldn’t judge an overweight doctor, but no excuses for a dentist with bad teeth.

I find poor dental hygiene unappealing.

I understand it though. When I struggled with my mental health years ago, I neglected my teeth (and personal hygiene in general). I went from no issues to early stage gum disease.

I would find it very off-putting if my dentist had bad teeth.

However, I wonder if 'bad teeth' are the result of other factors - e.g. genetics - rather than poor dental hygiene.

The “why” will vary; but plenty of women don’t go for their smear tests even though they know how vital they are and what they’re risking by not going, often because they have a history of sexual abuse. I imagine there are also people for whom being stuck in a dentist chair with an aching jaw whilst somebody shoves things in their mouth is likely to be equally difficult for somebody with a history of sexual abuse.

If a dentist or cosmetic surgeon had bad teeth I'd be not wanting their services.

If the person doesn't deal with mouths/teeth/faces/physical appearances then I probably wouldn't really notice that much.

I suppose if they were very young I'd think it looked a bit weird. But as we age our teeth do get yellower etc. they may have been a smoker, or just unlucky.

I once had a GP who had the most godawful halitosis known to mankind. It literally smelled like raw sewage. I could never understand why my mum chose to take me to him. It really was awful.

Most people I know can’t spare £8000.

YABU. Plenty of us have self-worth that doesn’t depend on how our teeth look.

I have a lifetime of bad experiences with NHS dentists, mine went private during Covid and I had to go to a dentist specialising in anxiety for a root canal.

I'm shocked at all your shockedness.
why are you shocked at people being overweight, many people in the nhs are, 60% of the uk population is.

My bottom tooth is crooked, even my dentist and orthodontist recommended to leave it rather than have braces due to diabetes. I have to go more often than most to hygienist as diabetics often have more tartar than most. But would anyone who meets me when I do finance meetings judge. I would hope not. I'd consider them very shallow if they were more concerned about my minorly not straight bottom tooth rather than the corp tax I'd saved them.

Is op very judgemental about loads of other things? 🙄

I don’t think the role is all that relevant to your dental health.

Maybe if dentists and especially hygienists would stop with the lectures and rudeness then people would go more. Some are extremely rough too.

You never get a GP judging you like that.