Over the last century, the concept of straight white teeth has gained dominance as the ideal standard for North American teeth. However, there are people around the world, including in Canada, who embrace other aesthetics such as coloured teeth, misaligned teeth, and a gap between their front teeth as the mark of beauty. Here are five dental practices from around the world that might challenge your dental sensibilities.
Oral Hygiene
You may have become accustomed to brushing your teeth with dentist approved synthetic tools and tubed toothpaste, but Indigenous cultures and holistic practitioners have different tools.
1.Chewing sticks are perhaps the most well-known traditional dental hygiene tool. They vary in size and substance depending on the region. They may be from a miswak or neem tree, orange or lime tree, licorice root, or dogwood. In addition to cleaning tooth enamel, the fibres and finer strands of chewing sticks act like floss, so it offers a 2-in-1 approach to dental care.
2. Solutions for mouth pain and oral infections were and still are found in roots and herbs. One traditional North American dental practice was the use of wild ginger root, while other holistic cultures around the world have or still use the following for their antiseptic and analgesic properties:
Toothache plant (acmella oleracea)
Clove
Neem
Licorice root
Garlic
Turmeric
Ginger
Peppermint
Saltwater
Smile Aesthetics
3. Tooth Sharpening recently became a fad due to a vampire fang challenge that went viral on Tic Toc, but in several areas of the world, the sharpening of teeth is a common dental practice. In the Indonesian Mentawai culture, for example, women have their teeth ground and sharpened with the use of a hammer and a needle. Meanwhile, in Bali, a traditional coming-of-age ritual consists in the filing and sharpening of teeth. The Mentawai people in Africa also have a traditional practice of tooth sharpening.
4. Dental Tattoos can be done on new dental crowns before they are placed. A dental tattoo is either the etching or the staining of a design onto the crown. Inking directly onto the teeth is not permitted in Canada. However, teeth blackening, or lacquering, which is different, is a traditional dental practice in Japan, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and elsewhere, including some South American countries. The practice uses a dye solution (that may or may not include iron) to colour a tooth.
5. Tooth Jewellery and other bling are fashionable dental practices around the world. In Japan LED inserts (similar to tooth guards) allow wearers to literally light up their smiles, while in other parts of the world, gold and diamond-encrusted grills are worn. Farther south, some athletes are taking up an Argentinian beer company’s creation of a bottle opener tooth implant.
Dental Practices in Winnipeg
Dental practices around the world highlight the diversity of cultural traditions and beliefs surrounding oral health. From ancient traditions to modern expressions of identity.
To find good oral health and a smile that is all your own, contact an Integral Dental Group dental clinic near you. We are situated on Portage, Keewatin Street, and Ellice Avenue.
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