Seriously, when is enough enough? Lately I've been even more bedazzled than usual by the spectre of super white teeth dazzling my eyeballs from the little screen that I confess to watching too much of (but I do watch on DVR and eliminate the commercials).Up to a point, I applaud it: the desire to look better. I will even go so far as to say that I took some steps to lighten my teeth a number of years ago. As we got ready for my daughter's wedding, I decided that I needed to do something about my yellowing fangs. So, it came to pass that I had my dentist make trays (molds to fit over my teeth). Then I would put some sort of whitening agent in the trays, press them into place, and leave them on for the night. The process did some temporary good, but I didn't much enjoy sleeping with those things in my mouth, and years later discarded what was left of the whitening agent, for I hadn't used it up in four years or more.
So, I don't have anything against the notion really, but my goodness folks, there needs to be a limit. These days, I am seeing whiter than white, to the point where it looks gaudy and phony to these old eyes. Again, to me and probably not to anybody else on the planet, both Tyra Banks and Steve Harvey looked over-the-top-white on their recent Oprah appearances. I would look at them and then glance back at Oprah to reassure myself that she was showing some common sense. And she was; her teeth seemed to be in the normal-white range, and they sure looked fine to me.
Let's get a grip, shall we? Pearly white is good, but too many mouths are unnaturally white, well beyond pearly, and they just jangle me the wrong way.Having said that, I understand that it's how I see and value this phenomenon, and it may not be, will most likely not be, how most good folk perceive it. But I had to get it off my chest. Thanks for the opportunity.
With you a hundred percent on this one - too white is SCAREY!
ReplyDeleteYikes, glow in the dark teeth!
ReplyDeleteWhen ALL you see is Teeth...it's time to change the channel!! On some people, that's All you Can see...it looks awful...I'm with you!hughugs
ReplyDeleteAC,
ReplyDeletePeople are taking things way too far in their attempt to be perfect. Humans were not made to be perfect, unfortunately. Vanity is considered to be the same as pride in Chrisian teaching and pride is one of the seven deadly sins.
Last night on Toronto news, they showed previews of that new show "Nip & Tuck." The doctor was telling the woman that he wouldn't do anymore plastic surgery on her and she said that it wasn't her that needed it. She then said, "It's her," and pointed at her very young daughter. I hope people don't start having their daughter's injected with botox just to try and make them attractive. I can't imagine such a thing. Surely the doctors wouldn't allow it.
Anyway, I'm with you. No teeth whitening for me. Just a good cleaning.
Enjoy the nice weather today.
Blessings,
Mary
yes, whether ads for them or the tooth glow in ads for other things, it's unsettling. no natural complexions, everyone in optimal photogenic posture and if someone so much as bends over, they are on the cover as stars who are getting fat. odd, odd.
ReplyDeleteCosmetic dentistry must be the cutting edge of the business. Perhaps, filling teeth has fallen off with better dental care and flouride.
ReplyDeleteI have observed this trend to perfect teeth, no better than perfect teeth, in people on TV. It is comparable to breast implants.
Natural teeth come in a wide range of colours and shapes and configurations. There is nothing wrong with having teeth that are distinctively yours.Why I have a broken eye tooth that my son damaged with a belt buckle when we were rough housing. I wouldn't want to do away with it an the memory associated with it.
Then again, I have very few teeth left to be sentimental about.
Years ago, I had a dentist quote me an offer to replace my filling with gold for $75 a filling. As it turned out it might have been a good investment but I passed on it.
I agree that it is being over done and these high profile folks are once more being a huge influence on our young people and their own personal images. Sigh. So much added stress, just for appearance sake.
ReplyDeleteI have never been happy with my teeth. Unfortunately, the color is inherited, and I don't think the whiteners work on that. You're right about the overdoing it though. It reminds me of a "Friends" episode when Ross whitened his teeth for a first date and left the stuff on way longer than he was supposed to. When the girl turned out the lights, turned out she had black lights installed, and his teeth literally glowed in the dark. Mary has a point about vanity, but God could be a little kinder.
ReplyDeleteI read an article that said it was actually quite dangerous to keep whitening as the enamel becomes corroded and damaged. In fact today, I also read that red and white wine has the same damaging effect so there's no hope for my teeth.LOL.
ReplyDeleteRemember the scenes in old movies when the movie star's eyes would twinkle--I mean, really TWINKLE. That's the way these super white teeth look to me.
ReplyDeleteNote to Tossing Pebbles--you should have gone for the gold with what gold is now worth an ounce!
I agree, AC. There is such a thing as too-white. And it doesn't look healthy.
ReplyDeleteI had many, many fillings in my teeth when I was young, and all three of our daughters have never had a cavity. So dentists have turned to more cosmetic work as TPITS noted. Whitening toothpastes give me a sore mouth so I will forego the bleach and just get my tea stains cleaned at my dental checkup.
ReplyDeleteI wonder about the health ramifications a decade down the road.
ReplyDeleteActually, it's quite funny when you see someone who's had the top set of teeth whitened or implanted, but not the bottom set. It looks really strange.
ReplyDelete