NationStates Jolt Archive

This is a serious question, really, and I figured this would be a good place to ask considering the large number of British people on this forum.

Does the average British person really have bad teeth relative to average Americans?

o_0 i don't know, why? mine are pretty good actually. although there is a real shortage of dentists. they keep killing themselves.
It’s a common stereotype held by Americans. I figured it could be true if perhaps the British held oral hygiene to a lower standard than those in the US.
Americans generally tend to be more paranoid about cleanliness than Europeans based on how much more antiseptics and such we buy.

What’s this about dentists offing themselves?

o_0 i don't know, why? mine are pretty good actually. although there is a real shortage of dentists. they keep killing themselves.

What’s this about dentists offing themselves?
They have to deal with bad Brits' teeth. :p

They have to deal with bad Brits' teeth. :p

Only one catch, and that's catch 22.

What’s this about dentists offing themselves?

It's the Jolt time-warp thing. :eek::(

It's scary. I've only been gone three weeks and everything is warped.... *cries*

Only one catch, and that's catch 22.

Genius.

Only one catch, and that's catch 22.
oooooo, witty. The powers of circular logic. :p

It’s a common stereotype held by Americans. I figured it could be true if perhaps the British held oral hygiene to a lower standard than those in the US.
Americans generally tend to be more paranoid about cleanliness than Europeans based on how much more antiseptics and such we buy.

What’s this about dentists offing themselves?

there are supposedly many more suicides among dentists than any other group. i think it might be an urban myth though.

i think the stereotype might be outdated, possibly from the days of rationing and whatnot although i'm just speculating. one of my best friends brushes her teeth about five times a day, she's a bit loopy though. another of my friends is obsessed with flossing, she's also loopy.

the british tend to stereotype the french as having poor dental hygiene (or poor hygeine in general), i think it's something to do with an idea that they don't use toothpaste for brushing or something.

the british tend to stereotype the french as having poor dental hygiene (or poor hygeine in general), i think it's something to do with an idea that they don't use toothpaste for brushing or something.
Perhaps this is like the goat/sheep fucking thing? Every country has another country that it tells goat fucking jokes about so maybe every country has another country that it tells bad teeth jokes about.

As an American with good teeth that lived in the UK. The reason I was given by more then one person including my English Dentist was fluoride. Apparently it is not used in the water systems as is in the US.
Makes sense.
Therefore no fluoride=bad teeth? It is not a myth that there are more bad teeth in the UK vs the US. Seen the proof first hand. ;)
How much worse?

As an American with good teeth that lived in the UK. The reason I was given by more then one person including my English Dentist was fluoride. Apparently it is not used in the water systems as is in the US. Therefore no fluoride=bad teeth? It is not a myth that there are more bad teeth in the UK vs the US. Seen the proof first hand. ;)

someone was complaining on here one day about the new regulations on dentists in the UK, they were upset about them having to "change gloves between patients" and about how that was a waste of money.......I was like :eek:

I mean really? and he was all like "usually they don't wear gloves at all" and I was like
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c389/Smunkee/untitled.jpg



that's gross.

As an American with good teeth that lived in the UK. The reason I was given by more then one person including my English Dentist was fluoride. Apparently it is not used in the water systems as is in the US. Therefore no fluoride=bad teeth? It is not a myth that there are more bad teeth in the UK vs the US. Seen the proof first hand. ;)

i don't know about that. i thought there was flouride in the water. maybe that's just where i grew up.

someone was complaining on here one day about the new regulations on dentists in the UK, they were upset about them having to "change gloves between patients" and about how that was a waste of money.......I was like :eek:

I mean really? and he was all like "usually they don't wear gloves at all" and I was like
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c389/Smunkee/untitled.jpg



that's gross.

i never heared of that before. all the dentists i've used have worn gloves, and they certainly binned them after seeing me, so unless i have a particularly dirty mouth i'd assume they changed gloves for each patient.

i don't know about that. i thought there was flouride in the water. maybe that's just where i grew up.

Well my experience was mostly around Leeds and Manchester. The teeth situation there is bad in comparison with the US.

Well my experience was mostly around Leeds and Manchester. The teeth situation there is bad in comparison with the US.

they're full of dirty northerners, that's why.
*lives even further north and has a father from wigan* :P

they're full of dirty northerners, that's why.
*lives even further north and has a father from wigan* :P

You bring up a funny point I thought about the UK. You can travel just a short way and have people talking crap about the people in the next major city as if they were complete foreign to there own people. I always thought to myself- you all look the same, what the hell are you making fun of someone that looks the same and talks the same. Never caught on to the dis game that a lot of Brits and welsh and Scots and every other subgroup likes to do.

Although whatever it is that makes the teeth bad also produces a high proportion of women with large breasts. Was always amazed at the UK for that attribute. An admiring amazement that is. :fluffle:

It's the Jolt time-warp thing. :eek::(

It's scary. I've only been gone three weeks and everything is warped.... *cries*
Indeed.

As for the British teeth, my grandfather didn't have any.
And he came from Britain.

Correlation? Nawwww...
*goes off to brush teeth*

someone was complaining on here one day about the new regulations on dentists in the UK, they were upset about them having to "change gloves between patients" and about how that was a waste of money.......I was like :eek:

I mean really? and he was all like "usually they don't wear gloves at all" and I was like
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c389/Smunkee/untitled.jpg



that's gross.
LOL
They didn't used to wear gloves in the US either!

I remember how they all suddenly started wearing them after the AIDS scare first hit the media. The gloves had nothing to do with keeping patients healthy--the dentists were afraid they'd get teh AIDS!

Funniest part is, patients soon realized that the gloves protect them from all sorts of germs, not just AIDS but the regular ones like colds and flu. So demand from the patient-side made sure that the gloves stayed on, even after the initial scare wore off.

And now there's people in the US who don't remember wondering "did the dentist wash his hands"...thanks a lot, now I feel old :p

As an American with good teeth that lived in the UK. The reason I was given by more then one person including my English Dentist was fluoride. Apparently it is not used in the water systems as is in the US. Therefore no fluoride=bad teeth? It is not a myth that there are more bad teeth in the UK vs the US. Seen the proof first hand. ;)

No. The fluoride thing can't be it. It's never been used over here (Iceland) and bad teeth are an extremely rare sight.

Free dental care. People don't value what they don't pay for.

Does the average British person really have bad teeth relative to average Americans?

Less whitened teeth - definately.

This is a serious question, really, and I figured this would be a good place to ask considering the large number of British people on this forum.

Does the average British person really have bad teeth relative to average Americans?

I can't say I've ever met a British person with bad teeth. But I haven't met them all yet, so I really wouldn't know.

As an American with good teeth that lived in the UK. The reason I was given by more then one person including my English Dentist was fluoride. Apparently it is not used in the water systems as is in the US. Therefore no fluoride=bad teeth? It is not a myth that there are more bad teeth in the UK vs the US. Seen the proof first hand. ;)

That doesn't make very much sense... there's no flouride added to the tab water in Germany, either, and Germans tend to have very good teeth indeed.
Additionally, the flouride intake of the average Brit is a lot higher than that of the average USAmerican, despite the added flouride in the water there. Flouride concantration in tea are so heavy that some doctors these days warn about consuming too much of it.

You bring up a funny point I thought about the UK. You can travel just a short way and have people talking crap about the people in the next major city as if they were complete foreign to there own people. I always thought to myself- you all look the same, what the hell are you making fun of someone that looks the same and talks the same. Never caught on to the dis game that a lot of Brits and welsh and Scots and every other subgroup likes to do.


*lol That's not exclusively British, though. You'll get that anywhere you go in Europe. And in the parts of Asia and Africa I've been to I could observe it, too. :D

Less whitened teeth - definately.

I never whitened mine... why would I actively try to damage them? :confused:

The stereotype of the British having bad teeth is outdated. The amount of fillings per child has decreased dramatically over the last few decades. So much so that amount of fillings for child in the UK is roughly the same as in the US (this trend is pretty much the same the world over [developed]). I, myself do not have a single filling, nor have ever had a tooth pulled.

However, there are associated problems with excess fluoride intake. Fluoride has been linked to cancer, osteopeorosis, and dental fluorosis. Fluoride accumulates in your bones over your lifetime, and cannnot be removed due to it's high reactivity. Fluoride causes brittleness in bones, and since it cannot be removed from your bones this means that oseteopeorosis can become a significant problem in later life.

If you want to look after your teeth and the rest of your body then drink plenty of milk, use a fluoride toothpaste, and use a saline mouthwash (do not ingest either the toothpaste or the mouthwash).

http://fluoridealert.org/health/teeth/caries/who-dmft.gif

If you want to look after your teeth and the rest of your body then drink plenty of milk
But not too much or Gillian McKeith will want to look at your poo.

This is a serious question, really, and I figured this would be a good place to ask considering the large number of British people on this forum.

Does the average British person really have bad teeth relative to average Americans?

we don't have bad teeth as a whole, but generally speaking not as perfect as american teeth... at least not as perfect as the ones you see on tv ;)

You bring up a funny point I thought about the UK. You can travel just a short way and have people talking crap about the people in the next major city as if they were complete foreign to there own people. I always thought to myself- you all look the same, what the hell are you making fun of someone that looks the same and talks the same. Never caught on to the dis game that a lot of Brits and welsh and Scots and every other subgroup likes to do.


you got the same thing in the US with east coast and west coast, north and south, hillbillies, etc... just our countries in europe are a lot smaller


incidentally i have one filling *nods*
my parents on the other hand have tonnes, largely because back in the 50s and 60s NHS dentists were pretty much paid by the number of teeth they pulled or how much work they did... meaning a lot of unnecessary gaps and drillings/fillings etc. this could have contributed to the stereotype maybe

This is a serious question, really, and I figured this would be a good place to ask considering the large number of British people on this forum.

Does the average British person really have bad teeth relative to average Americans?

This is a seriously stupid question. Do you beleive all national stereotypes or is this one just stuck in you mind?

Alternate answer:yes, every one of us has bad teeth due to excessive tea drinking, but we dont care because our posh accents, excessive politeness and top hats more than make up for it.

Damn, I just get annoyed because nearly all English people on american TV tend to be so ridiculously sterotyped its not even funny.

Damn, I just get annoyed because nearly all English people on american TV tend to be so ridiculously sterotyped its not even funny.

You're talking!
Ever seen what they do to the Germans? Or the Irish, for that matter?

You're talking!
Ever seen what they do to the Germans? Or the Irish, for that matter?

No, though you could be right. I just dont notice those.

British people have worse teeth because they're far less likely to floss or get purely cosmetic work done on their teeth.

British people have worse teeth because they're far less likely to floss or get purely cosmetic work done on their teeth.

I dont floss and have great teeth.

I dont floss and have great teeth.

Same here. Floss is incredibly overrated in keeping teeth healthy.

Free dental care. People don't value what they don't pay for.

Free dental care? Which Britain is this in, I'm moving!

;) You only get it for free if you're on benefits of some sort, and finding an NHS dentist is (if you believe the newspapers) like finding hens' teeth made from Dark Matter.

And apparently some of us have flouride in the water (http://www.dentalhealth.org.uk/faqs/leafletdetail.php?LeafletID=17).

Overall, I wouldn't say we have bad teeth, at least functionally. We probably just don't waste a fortune on cosmetic stuff.

This is a seriously stupid question. Do you beleive all national stereotypes or is this one just stuck in you mind?

Alternate answer:yes, every one of us has bad teeth due to excessive tea drinking, but we dont care because our posh accents, excessive politeness and top hats more than make up for it.

Damn, I just get annoyed because nearly all English people on american TV tend to be so ridiculously sterotyped its not even funny.

Quite agree. We may not have 'perfect' teeth but at least we aren't overweight gun-toting morons with an appalling dress sense, and perfect teeth.

Free dental care? Which Britain is this in, I'm moving!

;) You only get it for free if you're on benefits of some sort, and finding an NHS dentist is (if you believe the newspapers) like finding hens' teeth made from Dark Matter.

i got an NHS dentist, and he's good. we got him about 20 years ago when my parents moved to Winchester and we haven't let go of him (even though we now live elsewhere) ;)

Alternate answer:yes, every one of us has bad teeth due to excessive tea drinking, but we dont care because our posh accents, excessive politeness and top hats more than make up for it.

I'm going to write to my MP to demand sugar in tea is banned!

i got an NHS dentist, and he's good. we got him about 20 years ago when my parents moved to Winchester and we haven't let go of him (even though we now live elsewhere) ;)

I just signed up and mine put me on the NHS thingy. I like him :)
I have a suspicion that this is another case of the Daily Express um, exaggerating.

I just signed up and mine put me on the NHS thingy. I like him :)
I have a suspicion that this is another case of the Daily Express um, exaggerating.

Ususally they do, but in my case my dentist went from NHS to private and now there isnt an NHS dentist around. So I have to pay £10 a month just to visit him twice a year. Effectively, £60 per appointment is not good.

Ususally they do, but in my case my dentist went from NHS to private and now there isnt an NHS dentist around. So I have to pay £10 a month just to visit him twice a year. Effectively, £60 per appointment is not good.

Ten pounds per month? How does that work? :confused:

I just signed up and mine put me on the NHS thingy. I like him :)
I have a suspicion that this is another case of the Daily Express um, exaggerating.

or the daily mail, um... lying ;)

or the daily mail, um... lying ;)

Well, by "exaggerating" I meant "making it up" ;)

Well, by "exaggerating" I meant "making it up" ;)

i know, but i couldn't resist taking a poke at the mail too :p

Free dental care? Which Britain is this in, I'm moving!

;) You only get it for free if you're on benefits of some sort, and finding an NHS dentist is (if you believe the newspapers) like finding hens' teeth made from Dark Matter.

Well, yeah. I was talking more about the past than the present. Dental care was always free when I was a kid and my family was never on benefits.

I don't know about the availability of NHS dentists these days, I never even bothered looking when I signed up with the dentist I'm with. I find the service better when you go private (although that may just be different dentists) and the cost isn't much different unless, as you said, you're on benefits or you need, like, a mouth transplant or something.

As an American with good teeth that lived in the UK. The reason I was given by more then one person including my English Dentist was fluoride. Apparently it is not used in the water systems as is in the US. Therefore no fluoride=bad teeth? It is not a myth that there are more bad teeth in the UK vs the US. Seen the proof first hand. ;)

We do have floride in the water here and have doen so since the 60's as far as I know.

I think we probably do have worse teeth than theose in the States. I guess it's coz we don't want to pay to have them ground down to stumps, and caps fitted(or is that a British sterotype of our American friends?) I mean I went to a get a filling down a few months ago, nowt fancy, and because I work and so can not get free dental care from the NHS, I had to pay £120, for one filling.

Perhaps then dentists charge less in thge USA?

Ten pounds per month? How does that work? :confused:

Never heard of direct debit?

Never heard of direct debit?I've heard of that... only... I've only ever had to pay for the service I used... I don't have to pay just to be on a dentist's list... I pay £15 per appointment... (£15-30 per year in total) that's it... no monthly direct debits or anything...

Are you on an insurance plan or something?

Never heard of direct debit?

Yes, but like The Infinite Dunes said; what for, at the dentist's?
we've always just paid for what we use, so at my current dentist that's £15 per year (one annual checkup).

We do have floride in the water here and have doen so since the 60's as far as I know.



Actually no for the most part. Found a few things on google to back up what I have seen and have been told personally.

Here is a quote to a Q&A about fluoride in the UK:

Possibly. However, only a few places (Hartlepool in the North East of England , and parts of Essex) have enough natural fluoride to benefit dental health. Elsewhere it is added to only around 10 percent of the UK population's water supply - mainly in the West Midlands and the North East. Your water supplier will be able to tell you whether your water supply is fluoridated. The amount of fluoride in the water will vary depending on which area you live in. Fluoride is also naturally present in foods and drinks such as fish and tea, and some countries add fluoride to their table salt and milk instead of fluoridating the water supplies. One cup of tea can contain between 0.3mg and 0.5mg of fluoride, and if you drink it with milk your teeth will also benefit from the calcium. It is best to drink tea without sugar to reduce the risk of dental decay further.
Back to top

http://www.dentalhealth.org.uk/faqs/leafletdetail.php?LeafletID=17

So this makes sense to what I have seen and heard. I still think its because of fluoride that the overall condition of teeth are worse. I don't think its because a lack of visiting the dentist.

Actually no for the most part. Found a few things on google to back up what I have seen and have been told personally.

Here is a quote to a Q&A about fluoride in the UK:

Possibly. However, only a few places (Hartlepool in the North East of England , and parts of Essex) have enough natural fluoride to benefit dental health. Elsewhere it is added to only around 10 percent of the UK population's water supply - mainly in the West Midlands and the North East. Your water supplier will be able to tell you whether your water supply is fluoridated. The amount of fluoride in the water will vary depending on which area you live in. Fluoride is also naturally present in foods and drinks such as fish and tea, and some countries add fluoride to their table salt and milk instead of fluoridating the water supplies. One cup of tea can contain between 0.3mg and 0.5mg of fluoride, and if you drink it with milk your teeth will also benefit from the calcium. It is best to drink tea without sugar to reduce the risk of dental decay further.
Back to top

http://www.dentalhealth.org.uk/faqs/leafletdetail.php?LeafletID=17

So this makes sense to what I have seen and heard. I still think its because of fluoride that the overall condition of teeth are worse. I don't think its because a lack of visiting the dentist.

So the fact that the British tend to virtually live of their tea and would on average have about 2-4 cups each day, providing them with enough flouride that doctors find it necessary to issue warnings about it, as flouride is directly linked to osteoporosis, doesn't suggest to you that flouride deficiency might not really be the issue here?

As an American with good teeth that lived in the UK. The reason I was given by more then one person including my English Dentist was fluoride. Apparently it is not used in the water systems as is in the US. Therefore no fluoride=bad teeth? It is not a myth that there are more bad teeth in the UK vs the US. Seen the proof first hand. ;)

It is a myth, and I can bet I've seen more evidence first hand than you have.

someone was complaining on here one day about the new regulations on dentists in the UK, they were upset about them having to "change gloves between patients" and about how that was a waste of money.......I was like :eek:

I mean really? and he was all like "usually they don't wear gloves at all" and I was like
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c389/Smunkee/untitled.jpg



that's gross.
The other day? 30 years ago, maybe. But I can guarantee you that everyone in surgery, be they the dentist or the assistant, changes their gloves after every patient and everything gets fully cleaned and sterilised.


EDIT: Should probably have pointed out that I am a British Dental Assistant working primarily for the NHS.

You bring up a funny point I thought about the UK. You can travel just a short way and have people talking crap about the people in the next major city as if they were complete foreign to there own people. I always thought to myself- you all look the same, what the hell are you making fun of someone that looks the same and talks the same. Never caught on to the dis game that a lot of Brits and welsh and Scots and every other subgroup likes to do.


well i'm a 'localist' and an 'internationalist' and a staunch anti-nationalist so maybe that's why. although that wasn't my real opinion, hence the white text.

At least in most of western Europe the poor have access to dental services. Even though I'm considered to be disabled I have little access to dental care. After a year on the waiting list I have finally been able to get into a low cost clinic that gives me a 70% discount on basic services. Though I still have to pay the full amount for stuff like root canals. The only free services offered are extractions, so I opted to have two teeth removed because I couldn't afford the cost of root canals. (thankfully they were back teeth, so it doesn't look awful)
Oddly enough, it's easier for the indigent to find a place that will pay for dentures than fixing the teeth. So for some people the only option is to have them all pulled and get falsies.

Ahah! I've just done a quick look into the history of fluoridated toothpastes.

I'm finding that fluoridated toothpastes were introduced in USA in 1949 (able to catch the vast majority of the baby boomer population). Whereas the technology required to make fluoride useful in toothpaste was only exported outside the USA in the late 60s.

I believe it is this 20 year gap that contributed to the stereotype that the British have bad teeth. However, that gap has now largely disapeared and condition of teeth is the same both sides of the pond.

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7916sci4.html
http://www.fluoride-history.de

Again, fluoride is topical. Ingesting it does no good, and does plenty of harm. This is why every tube of fluoridated toothpaste states that you should not swallow it under any circumstances. Supposedly there is enough fluoride in a tube of toothpaste to kill a small child. So I'll stick to non-fluoridated water and fluoridated toothpaste thank you.

http://www.dentalhealth.org.uk/faqs/leafletdetail.php?LeafletID=17

I linked to that exact article a page ago!

And apparently some of us have flouride in the water (http://www.dentalhealth.org.uk/faqs/leafletdetail.php?LeafletID=17).

:(

You're talking!
Ever seen what they do to the Germans? Or the Irish, for that matter?

I love how everyone from scotland wears a kilt.

I was actually going to post a thread about this, as I had come across a british lad on my campus, and his teeth were actually in rather bad shape, and had very bad breath. But I'm thinking it just has to do with where they are from. Like certain areas might have a higher degree of hygene than others. Like here in the US, we have bad hygene with people in the south and around appalachian mountains, for the most part.

i got an NHS dentist, and he's good. we got him about 20 years ago when my parents moved to Winchester and we haven't let go of him (even though we now live elsewhere) ;)

Thats the same with me, even though I am in Glasgow now my dentist is still in the South of England where I grew up. Since the government forced through new contracts the problem of finding a dentist has become much harder, especially if you want a good one.

I think good teeth are down to money.

I've seen lots of Brits with rotten teeth ( i can't look at people who have missing teeth and deformed teeth - it disturbes me), and lots of brits with lovely teeth (i.e. me)

but i also think that the only american teeth i've seen are rich kids over here at uni or the movie/music stars. most people with money here have nicer teeth.

I'm also thinking of deliverance type US folks "Boy sure got a pretty mouth" and their teeth aren't too nice.

its just stereotyping, which can be funny.

Are American people more arrogant than the British people? :D

The other day? 30 years ago, maybe. But I can guarantee you that everyone in surgery, be they the dentist or the assistant, changes their gloves after every patient and everything gets fully cleaned and sterilised.


EDIT: Should probably have pointed out that I am a British Dental Assistant working primarily for the NHS.

yes, it was exactly 30 years ago, you are right.

Dental students are offered 4 grand a year if they sign a contract to work in the NHS at the end of their studies but they can pay it back at any time to get out of the contract. A lot of students simply take the money and put it in an account to build up interest and then pay back the capital after they graduate.

Another complaint i've heard is that its now compulsory for dentists to change gloves for every single patient but there havent been any increases in cash to practices to pay for this. Costs from this alone can run into the thousands.

All i'm saying is that the incentives to lure more dentists into the NHS just arent good enough to overcome the lure of private practice

Are American people more arrogant than the British people? :D

Of course they are haven't you ever seen an interveiw with your average american?

yes, it was exactly 30 years ago, you are right.

I'd love to know where he got his info from. It's been a legal requirement for, well roughly, 30 years. My boss was in practice when it was introduced.
I'd also like to know where this £4 grand came from. I can guarantee that I've not been paid £4 grand for my training, rather I've had to pay for it.

Whilst I agree with the point about there not being enough incentives to draw dentisits to the NHS, all the points made are absolute bollocks.

from the americans I met they seem to have some sort of paranoia that if they do not have amazing white teeth they will die poor and alone.

I would say english have pretty good teeth but don't seemt to have this stupidly white glaze that so many americans have.

I would say english have pretty good teeth but don't seemt to have this stupidly white glaze that so many americans have.

Jealous much? :D <-- That's a glorious American mouth right there. ;) <-- That's the brit hiding his teeth. ;) <-- That's me inferring this is all sarcastic for the dumb puts who couldn't figure it out otherwise.

It is wierd how teeth differentiate among cultures. And perhaps there is some truth behind all this...

I mean jesus have you ever seen the average Japanese person's teeth? *cringe* It's like a bulldog made of rusty barbedwire got into a fight with a crooked brown fence.

I think good teeth are down to money.

I've seen lots of Brits with rotten teeth ( i can't look at people who have missing teeth and deformed teeth - it disturbes me), and lots of brits with lovely teeth (i.e. me)

but i also think that the only american teeth i've seen are rich kids over here at uni or the movie/music stars. most people with money here have nicer teeth.

I'm also thinking of deliverance type US folks "Boy sure got a pretty mouth" and their teeth aren't too nice.

its just stereotyping, which can be funny.

You know that stereotype of the poor white trash in the hills of Appalachia is funny. When I was in the UK people would throw that stereotype out there. I would always chuckle and say where do you think those people came from? They would chuckle a bit and say not here! I would laugh and say with a straight face "Seriously though they came from here." Not to many laughs after throwing that one back on them. ;)


In general though American teeth are good. Bad teeth are far and few between.

from the americans I met they seem to have some sort of paranoia that if they do not have amazing white teeth they will die poor and alone.

I would say english have pretty good teeth but don't seemt to have this stupidly white glaze that so many americans have.

Teeth are a sign of good or bad genetics. At least that is what alot of people seem to think. Just for fun here are some pics

http://www.dental-health-index.com/picturesofbadteeth.html

Are American people more arrogant than the British people? :D

Americans cannot even compare in that department with the Brits. Hands down Brits take the prize.;)

It is a myth, and I can bet I've seen more evidence first hand than you have.
.

Well tell us your experience. Mine is from living in the UK for a couple years. Also spent years in other nations outside of the United States. Which include Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq,Germany and Morocco. Not to mention the dozens of other nations I have travelled through or to in my lifetime. So im not saying this from an average view. My personal experience is that there are more bad teeth in the UK then in the US. This is what I am talking about here.

This is a serious question, really, and I figured this would be a good place to ask considering the large number of British people on this forum.

Does the average British person really have bad teeth relative to average Americans?

Commercialism impacted most things in the US quite a bit before Britain. Even today American game shows offer prizes in the thousands when their British counterparts offer hundreds. Lots of things, cosmetic dentistry among them, got elevated to a whole new standard, and several stereotypes were born.

Americans gained a reputation for being incredibly fat. It was well deserved, but now Europe, Britain included, is catching up. The same is true, in reverse, for cosmetic dentistry. But for a long time braces in Europe were seen as something that was needed to correct dental misalignments that were likely to impact oral health. It has been decades since most Americans realized that realigning teeth was for any purpose other than cosmetic, or that the cosmetic issue was not itself a hygenic one.

British oral hygine was never lacking relative to the American. Just a willingness to spend thousands of dollars (or pounds) on what is essentially a beauty treatment that was about a generation behind.

Americans cannot even compare in that department with the Brits. Hands down Brits take the prize.;)

It's not arrogance when it's true.

When a guy with a mullet driving a pickup truck that's held together more by duct tape than by linkages, walks around in a wife-beater, and chews tobacco leaving a trail of juice wherever he goes thinks that he's classy, he's arrogant.

When a man who knows the difference between "then" and "than" thinks he's probably a bit more well read than the previous gentleman, he's simply being polite.