History Main / BritishTeeth

The reasoning behind this trope has its [[AccidentalPun roots]] largely in [[ValuesDissonance cultural differences]]. In the United States, having bad teeth is associated with extreme poverty, slovenliness, and/or [[DrugsAreBad drug addiction]]. Braces are a rite of passage for American teenagers whose parents can afford them. Thus there is an enormous cultural stigma to not having perfect teeth. In Britain on the other hand, for various reasons, there is no such class stigma. Indeed the reverse seems to be true: having one's teeth artificially straightened and/or whitened is considered the height of vanity, and cosmetically perfect teeth are often considered [[UncannyValley unsettling]]. The American emphasis on flawless teeth is viewed as an expensive indulgence, or slighly snobbily as the sort of thing that only "Essex girls" (Americans, think Jersey Shore) get done. [[note]]Though Britain does have a cosmetic dental industry that would love nothing more than to remedy this "lamentable" state of affairs[[/note]]

* ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'': "Franchise/JamesBond vs. Franchise/AustinPowers" opens with this blistering insult:
-->'''James Bond:''' I've beefed with Le Chiffre and No and Blofeld with a cheek scar\\

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'': While there's obviously no Britain in Runterra and its [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] since Caitlyn only has a very tiny gap in her front teeth but it's noticeable that the British-accented daughter of such a wealthy family has an imperfection with her teeth while someone like Vi who grew up in the slums has perfect teeth.

The reasoning behind this trope has its [[AccidentalPun roots]] largely in [[ValuesDissonance cultural differences]]. In the United States, having bad teeth is associated with extreme poverty, slovenliness, and/or [[DrugsAreBad drug addiction]]. Braces are a rite of passage for American teenagers whose parents can afford them. Thus there is an enormous cultural stigma to not having perfect teeth. In Britain on the other hand, for various reasons, there is no such class stigma. Indeed the reverse seems to be true: having one's teeth artificially straightened and/or whitened is considered the height of vanity, and cosmetically perfect teeth are often considered [[UncannyValley unsettling]]. The American emphasis on flawless teeth is viewed as an expensive indulgence. [[note]]Though Britain does have a cosmetic dental industry that would love nothing more than to remedy this "lamentable" state of affairs[[/note]]

* The British Music/DanBull made a song aptly titled "British Teeth"; he acknowledges (if not slightly exaggerates) the fact that his teeth isn't aesthetically pleasing, and that he doesn't really mind it at all.

For obvious reasons, this is almost exclusively an American and British trope, as not everyone outside the English-speaking world has the same views regarding British dental health if they even care about the topic. Also note that this is a ''national'' trope, not an ethnic trope -- a plurality of Americans being mostly or partially of British descent.

* EvilBrit Ned from ''WesternAnimation/GetAce'' has teeth so crooked and jagged that they're [[MorphicResonance still visible]] even when he's in his [[MasterOfDisguise otherwise-flawless disguises]]. They're probably the reason why he was supposed to receive Ace's braces in the first place.

* Just about every British character who appears on ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. They constantly recycle jokes, so expect to see it often.

* Played with in ''Film/AcrossTheUniverse'', when Jude, a Brit, notes of the American Lucy, "My god -- you have perfect teeth!" He tells her that people back home have horrible teeth, and feigns not knowing what braces are.

* An ad for [[Creator/TheBBC BBC America]] has an animated queen claiming that various British stereotypes aren't true (including the teeth one), but then having them happen in the background once she turns her head. "They say One's dentistry is diabolical, looks fine to me."

* The cover blurb for ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}'''s second volume claims that this trope couldn't ''possibly'' be true because how else could Creator/WarrenEllis have ripped out nearly forty people's throats and bit out their hearts?

The reasoning behind this trope has its [[AccidentalPun roots]] largely in [[ValuesDissonance cultural differences]]. In the United States, having bad teeth is associated with extreme poverty, slovenliness, and/or [[DrugsAreBad drug addiction]]. Braces are a rite of passage for American teenagers whose parents can afford them. Thus there is an enormous cultural stigma to not having perfect teeth. In Britain on the other hand, for various reasons, there is no such class stigma. Indeed the reverse seems to be true: having one's teeth artificially straightened and/or whitened is considered the height of vanity, and cosmetically perfect teeth are often considered [[UncannyValley unsettling]]. The American emphasis on flawless teeth is viewed as an expensive indulgence. [[note]]Although private dentistry in Britain would love nothing more than to remedy this "lamentable" state of affairs[[/note]]

The reasoning behind this trope has its [[AccidentalPun roots]] largely in [[ValuesDissonance cultural differences]]. In the United States, having bad teeth is associated with extreme poverty, slovenliness, and/or [[DrugsAreBad drug addiction]]. Braces are a rite of passage for many American teenagers whose parents can afford them. Thus there is an enormous cultural stigma to not having perfect teeth. In Britain on the other hand, for various reasons, there is no such class stigma. Indeed the reverse seems to be true: having one's teeth artificially straightened and/or whitened is considered the height of vanity, and cosmetically perfect teeth are often considered [[UncannyValley unsettling]]. The American emphasis on flawless teeth is viewed as an expensive indulgence. [[note]]Although private dentistry in Britain would love nothing more than to remedy this "lamentable" state of affairs[[/note]]

The reason for Britain's more lax standards on dental beauty are probably related to the National Health Service (NHS). Basic dentistry is only partly covered by the NHS and the cosmetic side isn't covered at all - to sum it up, the NHS focus primarily on making sure your teeth are healthy, rather than simply making them look aesthetically pleasing. British people tend to resent having to pay ''anything'' for medical care, leaving cosmetic dental care lower on their order of priorities than in other countries. But as far as actual dental health goes, [[http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displaystory.cfm?subjectid=7933596&story_id=15060097 a 2009 study by the OECD]] found that the UK, ironically, has the healthiest teeth in the industrialized world, ahead of the United States even, something backed up by a [[http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/dec/17/british-teeth-us-dentistry-oral-health 2015 study for the British Medical Journal]].

The reason for Britain's more lax standards on dental beauty are probably related to the National Health Service (NHS). Basic dentistry is only partly covered by the NHS and the cosmetic side isn't covered at all - to sum it up, the NHS focus primarily on making sure your teeth are healthy, rather than simply making them look aesthetically pleasing. British people tend to resent having to pay ''anything'', leaving cosmetic dental care lower on their order of priorities than in other countries. But as far as actual dental health goes, [[http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displaystory.cfm?subjectid=7933596&story_id=15060097 a 2009 study by the OECD]] found that the UK, ironically, has the healthiest teeth in the industrialized world, ahead of the United States even, something backed up by a [[http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/dec/17/british-teeth-us-dentistry-oral-health 2015 study for the British Medical Journal]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' episode "The Deal", Gumball says that Richard's attempt to rap about his day (where the only thing he did of note was finding a fry under the sofa) was the rap equivalent of British dental work.
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' has Jervis Tetch, or the Mad Hatter. His teeth are especially noticeable in [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries the Animated Series]], and he sports a rather nice Brit accent to boot.
* This happens to nearly the whole cast in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' when Timmy accidentally prevents the Revolutionary War from happening and causes the USA to remain English colonies.
* Just about every British character who appears on ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. They re-use jokes a lot, so expect to see it often.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', "All the Presidents' Heads":

* The page image comes from one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', in which a dentist [[ScareEmStraight terrifies]] Ralph Wiggum into healthy dental habits by showing him a book titled "The Big Book of of [''sic''] British Smiles".
* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "The Snuke" when America gets invaded by Britain, the British army ([[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution decked out in Redcoats of course]]) have noticeably terrible teeth.
** Ditto the British nannies from "Tsst!"

The reasoning behind this trope has its [[AccidentalPun roots]] largely in [[ValuesDissonance cultural differences]]. In the United States, having bad teeth is associated with extreme poverty, slovenliness, and/or drug addiction. Braces are a rite of passage for many American teenagers whose parents can afford them. Thus there is an enormous cultural stigma to not having perfect teeth. In Britain on the other hand, for various reasons, there is no such class stigma. Indeed the reverse seems to be true: having one's teeth artificially straightened and/or whitened is considered the height of vanity, and cosmetically perfect teeth are often considered [[UncannyValley unsettling]]. The American emphasis on flawless teeth is viewed as an expensive indulgence. [[note]]Although private dentistry in Britain would love nothing more than to remedy this "lamentable" state of affairs[[/note]]

The reason for Britain's more lax standards on dental beauty are probably related to the National Health Service (NHS). Basic dentistry is only partly covered by the NHS and the cosmetic side isn't covered at all. British people tend to resent having to pay ''anything'', leaving cosmetic dental care lower on their order of priorities than in other countries. But as far as actual dental health goes, [[http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displaystory.cfm?subjectid=7933596&story_id=15060097 a 2009 study by the OECD]] found that the UK, ironically, has the healthiest teeth in the industrialized world, ahead of the United States even, something backed up by a [[http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/dec/17/british-teeth-us-dentistry-oral-health 2015 study for the British Medical Journal]].

The reason for Britain's more lax standards on dental beauty are probably related to the National Health Service (NHS). While basic dentistry is partly covered by the NHS (there is still a charge, but it is significantly lower and even that charge is relatively recent), the cosmetic side isn't. British people tend to resent having to pay anything at all, leaving cosmetic dental care lower on their order of priorities than in other countries. As far as actual dental health goes, [[http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displaystory.cfm?subjectid=7933596&story_id=15060097 a 2009 study by the OECD]] found that the UK, ironically, has the healthiest teeth in the industrialised world, ahead of the United States overall, something backed up by a [[http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/dec/17/british-teeth-us-dentistry-oral-health 2015 study for the British Medical Journal]].

The reason for Britain's more lax standards on dental beauty are probably related to the National Health Service (NHS). While basic dentistry is partly covered by the NHS (there is still a charge, but it is significantly lower), the cosmetic side isn't. British people tend to resent having to pay anything at all, leaving cosmetic dental care lower on their order of priorities than in other countries. As far as actual dental health goes, [[http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displaystory.cfm?subjectid=7933596&story_id=15060097 a 2009 study by the OECD]] found that the UK, ironically, has the healthiest teeth in the industrialised world, ahead of the United States overall, something backed up by a [[http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/dec/17/british-teeth-us-dentistry-oral-health 2015 study for the British Medical Journal]].

The reason for Britain's more lax standards on dental beauty are probably related to the National Health Service (NHS). Dentistry is the only part of the socialised healthcare system where the British people are expected to pay the costs of the work, and even those on benefits only get a discount. British people tend to resent having to pay anything at all, leaving cosmetic dental care lower on their order of priorities than in other countries. As far as actual dental health goes, [[http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displaystory.cfm?subjectid=7933596&story_id=15060097 a 2009 study by the OECD]] found that the UK, ironically, has the healthiest teeth in the industrialised world, ahead of the United States overall, something backed up by a [[http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/dec/17/british-teeth-us-dentistry-oral-health 2015 study for the British Medical Journal]].