Category Archives: Dental Aesthetic Across Cultures Research Paper

For many years, throughout history can remember, teeth has been an important part of many cultures. Teeth are a necessity in life and have been made for people to eat, and chew their food, but there are many other cultures that use their teeth for other purposes.

One of those cultures includes Indonesian Tribal Customs or other wise known as Mentawai people. They are the native people of the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia and where the women there chisel their teeth to make them look  beautiful. These women are characterized to be very heavy spiritualist in their body art, such as their teeth. They believe it is a practice that makes one feel more beautiful.

These women of the Indonesian tribe, chisel their teeth to make it more narrow and pointy because they believe that it makes them look attractive. They also believe that if they do so, their husband will not leave them for someone else, and they believe once they have chiseled their teeth they automatically become beautiful.

Whenever you take a look at a persons face, what’s the first thing that catches your eyes. Is it the nose? Is it the eyes? How about the teeth. The enamel of the maxillary central incisors is often considered the focal point meaning whenever someone looks at your face, they’re looking at your upper incisors. Throughout history dental aesthetics have changed drastically. One part of the world where dental aesthetics was different from our practices in America was in Japan. Long ago the people of Japan had a dental practice known as “ohaguro” which meant blackening of the enamel portion of the teeth. Today many people would find that to be dirty and ugly. But for the Japanese, blackening the teeth symbolized many great things. For men in the upperclass and samurais in high ranks, ohaguro represented dignity and for women ohaguro represented the coming of age and geishas. In those times colors represented many things you wouldn’t even thought to have existed. One negative thing about ohaguro is that it wasn’t a permanent factor. At some point the black dye would wear out and the process had to be repeated to do it again, and by doing that certain ingredients would be needed. Around the Meiji Era of February 5, 1870, the government decided to ban the practices of ohaguro. Another reason why ohaguro died out is when Empress Shouken made an appearance, her teeth were pure white, instead of black. When women saw that, they started to grow more less of ohaguro.

Abstract by Lakeram Ricknauth

Nowadays people have several ideals of what oral beauty is and how it plays a role in their culture. American culture  perceives white teeth to be the more attractive approach to teeth. On the other hand some southeastern Asian countries like Vietnam and Japan perceives black teeth to be more beautiful and elegant. American and Japanese cultures have very distinct viewpoints in oral hygiene, beauty and public approval. However, both Japanese and American culture helps enrich people’s beauty and way of life in their own distinct way.

Have you ever wonder why dental aesthetics in various countries differ from one another? We all believe in things that are good for us whether it is from the common knowledge of science, or religion. Dental aesthetics culturally change over time. As we learn something new that will benefit us throughout life, we change our current lifestyle into the lifestyle we think will be beneficial for us. Japanese dental aesthetics now are the same as what Americans have; no anatomic features changed and the whitening of teeth. However, what was  Japanese dental aesthetics like back then? Japanese had a practice called Ohaguro in which they paint their teeth black. The Japanese believed that exposing their enamel part of their teeth were a visible part of the skeleton, which as a symbol of death, was unclean. It was also thought to believe in the Buddhist idea that white teeth reveal the animal nature of men and women and that the civilized person should conceal them, thus blackening their teeth. They chose black was because they believed it was a static color that visually symbolizes constant strength and dignity. Buddhism, referred black as an unchanging color for which cannot be dyed with another. “Color has many symbolic properties and is often adapted in many societies around the world” (“The black teeth,” 2010). The reason why one chooses a particular color have their own reason and meaning behind it. Ohaguro was popular among men at first, particularly the upperclassman and samurais in which it represented rank. Later, Ohaguro was used for women in which represented their marital status, the coming of age and geishas. Japanese thought that women who blacken their teeth look beautiful. Although the practice of Ohaguro was a labor intensive work, they have their own ways in making their ingredients in blackening their teeth. They weren’t permanent, so they had to repaint them every single time the blackness fades away. On February 5^th of 1870, the government banned the practice of Ohaguro, and the tradition was ceased.

To read my paper, click link below:

Japanese Cultural Aesthetics

Lawrence Lee

Imagine living in a different time and place.  Perhaps a very long time ago.  How would you adapt to the culture?  What would you to do to fit in, to be socially accepted? Would you alter your appearance?

Since prehistoric times, many cultures have altered their appearance in the name of beauty.  On the continent of Asia people have been modifying their teeth as culture dictates.  The first and foremost reason was to be more attractive to the opposite sex.  The practice of tooth modification  could be temporary or permanent, pleasant or painful.  It has also been called tooth mutilation.

The Japanese culture had practiced Ohaguro, or tooth blackening for centuries.  It was banned  in the 1870’s but, the culture of Japan was slow to change.

www-nytimes-com

Hello Everyone,

I would like to thank Linda for sharing this relevant current NY times article with us.

Alter

In today’s world, “Dentistry has changed from a ‘needs based’ to a ‘wants based’ format” (Bloom & Paydayachy, 2007). As time goes on, new things will be introduced to us and we will have to please our patients. As a dental technician, as well as other technicians, I have to adapt to the newest styles of our patients. We have to learn what people are interested now and understand how to fulfill their needs as professionals. Products like “grills” and implants have shown us that we have come a long way from “hippopotamus ivory and cow tooth.”