Down Memory Lane (Philippines)

False Teeth Became a Fad When I Was Young

If you have a brother or a sister who is about 40 or older, chances are he or she might have 4 front false teeth. In my family, I am the only one who still has four front teeth and I can tell you why.

In the mid 70’s false teeth became a fad. You were “in” if you had four front false teeth. Braces were hardly known in the Philippines then or if they were, only the rich could afford them. I happen to come from a family with bad teeth formations. It comes with the genes. If you had that, it would be a good reason to go to the dentist so you could be “in” with the crowd. Dentists never cared if your front teeth were still good or not. They willingly pulled them out for you. Hey, it was two kinds of income for them, extracting and the false teeth. What's puzzling me now is how could my parents have allowed this to happen to my brothers and sisters?

Had I been 15 then, my front teeth are probably gone by now. Thank God I wasn't born to be 15 when people became crazy with this fad. My front teeth are still crooked but they are still serving me their purpose. My dentist here is suggesting that I should consider having braces. Heck, at my age, forget it. I'm still married! And my smile is still my biggest asset so I don't really care.

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