I am American too, and as other in the forum have pointed out it's probably my American-centric world view of cosmetic standards that draws my eyes to anything that isn't a magazine-ready Hollywood perfect smile. I would point out, it's also a YouTuber thing too, just look at Joey Graceffa, Tyler Oakley, Connor Franta, etc that all have these glamorous smiles—then switch over to D&P and there's a noticeable difference (which is fine! just noticeable.). I had braces and know the plight, but I know there are other less intrusive options such as Invisalign which is basically a clear resin retainer that can pop out anytime and gradually straightens teeth. I'm sure it's expensive as hell, but we are talking D&P here.sapienveneficus wrote:You're not alone. Are you an American? Because I am, and I find that crooked teeth always stand out to me because they're so rare here in the states. They're a real anomaly. I don't think Phil's teeth are particularly bad, but they are noticeable.Phantasy wrote:[offtopic]Am I kind of a dick for secretly wishing Phil (and Dan) would get their teeth straightened? I don't know if it's the new room lighting, new camera (or plethora of zoom-effects in the last gaming video), but my eyes keep focusing on Phil's teeth especially. Earlier in the thread when the topic was on Phil's hair, my though was I think his hair suits him well enough, it's just out dated and time for a change up—my eyes however keep lingering on their teeth (again maybe the better lighting/camera). I mean, they must have invisalign or something similar in the U.K. that's unobtrusive and not fixed into place unlike braces? Or maybe I'm being to vain and if they don't care why should I? [/offtopic]
[offtopic]What really drives me up a wall is when I see an American who's roughly my age (late 20s/early 30s) with crooked teeth. There's this YouTuber (I think her name is Lindsay Doe) who has this channel called Sexplanations. Anyhow, I watched a few of her videos back when her channel first launched, and I remember being so distracted by her teeth that I couldn't even process what she was saying. Scrolling down in the comments of those early videos, I was somewhat comforted to see that I wasn't alone. It wasn't that her teeth looked bad, I mean they REALLY did, but what set my brain off was how she could have teeth like that in the first place. Because when I heard her American accent and saw her teeth, that disconnect prompted me to do some research. I found out that she was born in the US, was a member of my generation, and that her parents have worked in higher education her whole life. Which means, there would have been no barriers standing in the way of her seeing an orthodontist and certainly her dentist would have recommended a visit. I should probably explain that, here in the states, braces are ridiculously common. The only kids who don't get them either live in abject poverty (and even then there are charities that provide orthodontic procedures for families who can't afford them) or are those lucky few born with perfect teeth. Therefore, there was no reason why this YouTuber wouldn't have had braces growing up. She hadn't spent her formative years in Russia, or living on a commune in the desert, and she made no mention in those few videos I saw of being abducted by aliens from the ages of 11-18. I couldn't get my head around it. When things don't make sense, it drives me crazy. And an American woman in her 30s having been raised in a middle class family would have had braces growing up; full stop.
UPDATE - She has since gotten invisaligns but has made no mention, as far as I'm aware, of why she never had braces growing up. So the mystery lives on. My money's on the aliens.[/offtopic]
Back to Dan and Phil. I do notice Phil's teeth, and while I think it'd be nice if he got them fixed, his teeth don't particularly bother me. Now, if Phil were an American, the anomaly of his crooked teeth would drive me nuts, and I wouldn't be able to watch his videos without wondering why he hadn't had braces growing up.
I totally agree with most here too that not having perfect teeth isn't at all a "problem" and can and does add character (take Louise for example, her teeth are relatively straight, but she's got a gap that I think totally adds to her charm). I totally get too that it can be an unhealthy and vain pursuit, and I've even seen some recent examples of social media stars (under 18 even!) get veneers and caps purely for cosmetics, which to me is bonkers. But in the US, braces are so routine I would not at all put it in the same category as a nose job or other cosmetic surgeries as some have implied.
I frankly thought it's been a good and illuminating topic to debate! (Which probably just goes to show we're so thirsty for content!)