Want a nice smile? Just say “cheese”
i just finished brushing my straight, white, american teeth … and i was reminded of something one of my students asked me not too long ago.
“dan, why do americans have such white teeth?” she asked.
it was a typically random question for me to receive in class. to my curious students, i am the clearing house of information for all things american. lots of the questions i try to answer have little to do with conversational english. lots of the questions i try to answer are impossible to answer.
she asked a follow-up before i had a chance to answer: “is it because you eat so much cheese?”
i chuckled. but she was serious.
“well, no …” i started, before going on about a culture of teeth cleaning, flossing, orthodontics and regular visits to the dentist. before explaining that i knew plenty of americans who ate cheese and had bad teeth, plenty of americans who didn’t eat much cheese and had nice teeth. before explaining that a healthy economy can lead to healthy smiles … unless you are british. before explaining …
and then she interrupted.
“no,” she said confidently. “i think it’s because of the cheese.”
related: 2003: a dental odyssey
05.28.2004, 7:44 PM · Humor, Observations, School
