The real cost of perfect teeth

Teeth are often one of the first things we notice in people. Sparkling white and perfectly aligned teeth are synonymous with excellent oral health and hygiene. Something as trivial as teeth often impact important aspects of one's life such as college admissions and employment prospects. Poor oral health is often seen as a failure of individual responsibility despite those in desperate need of dental care often being priced out. Yet, somehow these are the people unjustifiably held accountable for not conforming to standards that have been imposed on them.

Teeth are meant to be functional. Smiles were genuine expressions of joy. So, when did we transition from functionality and emotional expression to commodification? Dentist Charles Pincus and actresses Joan Crawford and Judy Garland introduced and popularised the "Hollywood Smile" which was created with tooth caps. The standard for movie stars was set and as is with everything the rich and famous do, these standards trickled down to lead to the formation of a 33-billion-dollar cosmetic dentistry industry.

The dentistry industry has seen a shift from preventative and health care measures like fillings, extractions and cleanings to veneers, invisible aligners and whitening. The expenses of braces and other forms of dental care are often justified as investments in the personal and academic futures of the patients. Under the pressure to conform, many people, especially adolescents, lose confidence.

I have had braces for four years now and am aware of the privilege that enables me to grow up with aligned teeth. Someone I knew had mentioned that their teeth had been ridiculed in a college interview. The indignities and absurdities of our contemporary economy are highlighted by the state of our dental system. Medical procedures are purchased as a product instead of being carried out as a necessity. Most people cannot afford the most basic of dental care and it is often viewed as a privilege and not a right.

The perfect smile is far from affordable and the class implications that follow it are severe. They hold social capital and give the owner a sense of superiority. They are luxuries reserved for the wealthy. The successful body is not the most functional or healthy one but one that is suited to the most capitalistic ideals. The 18-step skincare routine, the fillers, and the BBLs are all part of the bourgeois body standard. The deceit of the "successful body" lies in its impermanence. Whether it's lifelong retainers or constant fillers maintaining your perceived class comes with cosmetic costs.

The penalty for stopping the procedures is slipping down the social hierarchy. You no longer physically demonstrate that you're a part of the upper echelon of society. One of the first indicators of class mobility is fitting into the standards of the bourgeois body type. The increasing commercialisation of dentistry means the lines between healthy teeth and "conventionally attractive" teeth are blurred. Despite the overlap, it is the distinction between the two that divides them into healthcare and cosmetic work. This capitalism-coerced rise of cosmetic work and healthcare, in essence, means that the real importance of oral health is overlooked and devalued by consumers.

Aryah Jamil is mediocre at everything except laughing at their own jokes Tell her to stop talking at jamil.aryah@gmail.com