One look at your teeth, and Irish will know if you're American

Ha, ha ..this is too funny. My Irish friends and family say that I have "American teeth". My teeth are straight and are fairly white. I never had any work done (barring the odd filling) or braces....and I don't use whiteners. Even my Irish boyfriend says I have the nicest teeth he has ever seen. I am American born and raised to Irish parents...and I've received dental care on both countries. I put it down to good Donegal genes..??LOL

American's teeth are not any more "naturally" straight & white than the Irish or British. Parents spend a boatload of money on orthodontists to put braces on their kids' teeth, and then both teenagers & adults buy teeth-whitening kits, or get it professionally done at the dentist. Not all these whitening jobs look natural...I've seen some that were so white they were startling...and fake-looking.

Here's the thing, at least from the point of view of a male from North America: If you are dealing with English males, they genuflect all the time, button up their coats, shirts and sweaters to the top, wear mufflers or scarves, and do all kinds of things that seem almost a little on the feminine side. Actually, you have to keep your eyes peeled. They are not really so obsequious and they are not automatically being nice at any time just because they sound like it. Dealing with with Irish males in their home country, you get some of the same body languague, probably as a result of the occupation, but they are more like us. Again, it's just a cultural thing and doen't say anything about the actual people involved or what they are really thinking. There's probably a rich vein of material to consider on cross-atlantic male-female body language as well, but it would take some research.

Pardon me having good laugh over these postings, very funny, lots of them. The toothpaste sellers must surely be laughing too. Me’ass! One’s teeth are like your hips, knees, and ankles - they’re inherited bones, feranbegawdsake. If you’re lucky enough to have ‘perfectly blended’ teeth (by who’s opinion btw?) gud on yaz. The best natural looking teeth are found in most African, Indian (both Asian and Native American) people. The whiteness most of those people have in their smile comes from what they chew on, ya see? But yes, as an Irishman living in Ireland, who’s also been in the USA, I agree with Bridget. I’d always know an American - sometimes by their teeth, more likely by the expensive but crappy looking shoes they wear. Funnily enough, I used to recognise an Irish person passing by me in the streets of NYC, by the pallor or lack of it on their cheeks.

Its not that we in Ireland and England don't take care of our teeth, its that teeth are not naturally straight or white in the manner you see many americans teeth. Our dental care is of the highest degree it is just for the health of our teeth and not for false vanity.

In this day and age there is no reason for bad looking teeth. What a difference straight, white teeth make to your face.

Can you Irish and Brits tell if the person is American or Canadian when they open their mouths literally? According to you folk the accent is the same and we are all obsessed with our teeth. Well, you're wrong on both counts.

I guess it is common sense to take care of one's teeth. Shucks, we Americans have some common sense after all. Golly.

So what's wrong with trying to improve your appearance? It isn't just Americans that like their teeth straight and white we Canadians do too. In fact why don't you call us North Americans because that's what we are. There isn't much difference when it comes to teeth and fashion. Also, like the Americans we tend to question authority. We don't take everything we hear as gospel. What's wrong with that Bridget?

Not a particularly gnawing issue.

Oh yes, it is usually easy to spot an American, their colorful clothing and loud speech sets them right out in the spotlight.

Whenever in Ireland I endeavor not to stand out as an American. My efforts, though, are usually worthless. One time in Leitrim I was a bit tired of all this and wanted to speak to another American. I spotted a tall man in a Hawaiian shirt. American! Not so, he was Australian.

This article is spot on! Having good teeth has been a part of American society, at least since the baby boomer generation.

Im afraid I'll have to admit that I fit into the arrogant group... second or third generation of those of Irish descent. But I still love the US and I still love Scotland and Ireland and I always will. God bless us all.

What do Americans look like? In this day and age of an increasingly internationalized and standardized world the claim of being able to spot "an American" without talking to him/her first smacks of an utterly antiquated stereotype. Other than the supposedly proverbial white and straight teeth of Americans (does that include the 40 million plus who lack basic health and dental care?) there is a less flattering feature that is also deemed to distinguish the yanks - their generous body mass. But even that has become an unreliable indicator of American provenance as the rest of the world is catching up quickly in that realm as well.