While our, European and American dentists are sophisticated in inventing new methods to achieve this sparkling perfection, Marina Kolesnichenko, dentist-therapist, head physician of Beauty Line, will tell us that the radiant whiteness of teeth is not an ideal for everyone and not always.
Maya tribes: drilling, sawing, squeezing
With regard to teeth, the Maya actively practiced two procedures: filing and inlaying with precious stones. But this only sounds harmless, in practice it turned out to be completely different. Teeth, for example, were given different, far from natural forms, and every worthy Maya was engaged in filing throughout his life. Inlays were a barbaric procedure at all: holes were drilled in the teeth (without anesthesia, of course) and stones were inserted into them. Most often, the upper front teeth were subjected to this, and such procedures began at the age of 15. Under the conditions in which this happened, what is most surprising is the fact that at least some teeth were preserved in the Maya turtles.
In Russia, all teeth are equal
Where did the glorious boyar and merchant daughters get the custom of blackening their teeth? And all from there – from craving for uniformity. The harsh climate of Russia did not allow the consumption of vegetables and fruits in excess, and there were problems with calcium, and therefore the teeth quickly deteriorated. In order for the dentition to look uniformly monochromatic, girls and women powdered their teeth with mercury whitewash. However, the effect was by no means whitening: the teeth became even more blackened and destroyed. Well, on the other hand, they looked the same.
But there is a second version that explains the popularity of blackening of teeth from the XNUMXth to the beginning of the XNUMXth century. It’s about the price of sugar. It was so high that only very wealthy people could eat sugar in excess. That is why teeth, blackened from sugar abuse, have become associated with wealth, prosperity and beauty. Women of fashion, who saw a sugar cube once a year on holidays, sought to achieve a trendy carious effect by blackening their teeth.
However, they blackened their teeth not only in Russia, but also in Morocco, India, Nigeria, South America, and the Japanese turned it into a real art and a sign of social status.
Japanese traditions – sake plus rusty iron
The tradition of blackening teeth in Japan was called ohaguro (literally “black teeth”). Poetic Japanese saw in black varnish on their teeth a metaphor for a wife’s infinite loyalty to her husband, and this impenetrable black ideal was achieved in the following way.
Rusty iron rods were aged in a mixture of water and sake. Then, ground sumach ink nuts, which had a very unpleasant odor, were added to the resulting solution. Bravely holding her nose, the fashion victim applied this compound to her teeth, which looked like black varnish. By the way, it was necessary to grind teeth in this way every day!
But, despite the outdated look, this varnish was very useful: it contained a large amount of tannins, iron, helped to strengthen the enamel, and protected teeth from damage.
The purpose and distribution of ohaguro among different social strata has changed over the centuries. From the tradition of noble families, it passed into the category of folk customs, then at the end of the XNUMXth century it was forbidden to use it by the nobility and members of the imperial family, and now blackening of teeth can only be seen on actors.
China: jade teeth
Sounds just as poetic, doesn’t it? But does everyone imagine what color jade is and what it looks like? We tear off the veils of mystery: jade is a green stone in stains. Imagine the look of the Chinese beauties! To achieve this amazing effect is very simple: you just need to brush your teeth with a stick and green tea. Mao Zedong, for example, never touched his teeth with either toothpaste or brush, and to this day half a billion Chinese are following the same course that the Great Helmsman set. By old age, of course, little remains of the teeth, but the breath becomes truly lethally vigorous!
Esthetic dentistry mentawai from Indonesia
According to men from the Mentawai tribe, which lives in Indonesia on the island of the same name, the most beautiful woman is the one who will frighten even Dracula with her smile until her fangs fall out. How do girls achieve the ideal? It’s very simple: they lie down under the teeth with stones – without anesthesia! For generations, Mentawai women have endured hellish pain for their teeth to acquire a triangular, shark-like shape. No one knows how such a peaceful tribe got such a threatening tradition, but to this day Mentawai women willingly smile like sharks to numerous tourists and photographers, not even suspecting why they jump so.
Say a resolute “no” to your teeth!
However, staining, filing, inlays – that’s not all. Some peoples believe that the smaller the teeth, the fewer problems, and therefore it is better to remove them in youth, so that you do not have to pull them out in old age. Anyway, a black hole in the dentition will adorn any woman! Based on this situation, the inhabitants of the Solomon Islands knock out the upper incisors of women during the marriage ritual, and the inhabitants of Angola deprive the bride of her front teeth in order to provide the groom with complete peace and tranquility in married life. No teeth – no bites, right?