On: I made my own clear plastic tooth aligners and the...

[gregschlom]

People in developing countries need and want to look good just like everybody else. "Developing country" is pretty much the whole world, except Western Europe, North America, Japan, and Australia / NZ.

[Void_ → gregschlom]

Do you imagine people in countries east of Austria as ugly bunch with crooked teeth, because we're developing and never heard of cosmetic dentistry?

[cbd1984 → Void_]

Actually, the usual place to stereotype as having crooked teeth is the UK, which is firmly in the "developed" group of countries.

To answer your question, no, "crooked teeth" isn't in the usual list of stereotypes people have about Eastern Europeans.

[snaily → cbd1984]

A counterpoint in the form of a "humorous" travel guide for a Eastern European fictional country: http://www.amazon.com/Molvania-Untouched-Modern-Dentistry-Je...

[Void_ → cbd1984]

That doesn't answer my question.

[dazzla → cbd1984]

IMHO in the UK teeth straighting is perceived as extremely vain. So in the UK straighting teeth is more a taboo than not.

[tfgg → dazzla]

Huh? Orthodontics are free in the UK up til 19, and it's very normal to have braces.

Maybe amongst an older generation who'd have to go out their way to pay for straightening.

[dazzla → tfgg]

Again I show I have been away from home to long.