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| A POINT OF VIEW By David Cannadine | A POINT OF VIEW By David Cannadine |
| There has been a major obstacle in the special relationship between Britain and the United States. Bad teeth. | |
| A few days ago, I stood outside a comfortable, stuccoed, three-storey house in Highgate, north London, where a blue commemorative plaque was unveiled. The address was 31, West Hill, and the plaque recorded the residence there of the former Poet Laureate, John Betjeman. | A few days ago, I stood outside a comfortable, stuccoed, three-storey house in Highgate, north London, where a blue commemorative plaque was unveiled. The address was 31, West Hill, and the plaque recorded the residence there of the former Poet Laureate, John Betjeman. |
| It was one of many celebrations that have taken place this year to mark the centenary of his birth. From 1908 to 1917, Betjeman lived with his parents at this house, which he later recalled affectionately in Summoned by Bells, his blank verse autobiography. | It was one of many celebrations that have taken place this year to mark the centenary of his birth. From 1908 to 1917, Betjeman lived with his parents at this house, which he later recalled affectionately in Summoned by Bells, his blank verse autobiography. |
| As he once explained, the house was just about half way up the hill, and as such was an apt reflection of his family's intermediate social position, and of its upward rather than downward social aspirations. | As he once explained, the house was just about half way up the hill, and as such was an apt reflection of his family's intermediate social position, and of its upward rather than downward social aspirations. |
| BBC NEWS: AUDIO Hear A Point of View in the BBC Radio Player | BBC NEWS: AUDIO Hear A Point of View in the BBC Radio Player |
| Although he left Oxford without a degree, Betjeman turned out to be a versatile and talented man. Of course he was a poet, offering memorable evocations of trains and metro-land, and railway stations and churches. | Although he left Oxford without a degree, Betjeman turned out to be a versatile and talented man. Of course he was a poet, offering memorable evocations of trains and metro-land, and railway stations and churches. |
| But he was also a prolific writer on architecture, and he was one of the earliest crusading conservationists after the Second World War. | But he was also a prolific writer on architecture, and he was one of the earliest crusading conservationists after the Second World War. |
| Plaque attack | Plaque attack |
| Indeed, it was through his regular column, Men and Buildings, in the Daily Telegraph, a newspaper of which my parents were loyal and avid readers, that I first encountered Betjeman, where I learned from him that many of the greatest Victorian buildings in Britain were seriously at risk. | Indeed, it was through his regular column, Men and Buildings, in the Daily Telegraph, a newspaper of which my parents were loyal and avid readers, that I first encountered Betjeman, where I learned from him that many of the greatest Victorian buildings in Britain were seriously at risk. |
| Americans see the Brits as having bad teeth | Americans see the Brits as having bad teeth |
| And he was also a broadcaster, with a long career on both the wireless and television, where his voice, by turns fruity and mischievous, was instantly recognisable. | And he was also a broadcaster, with a long career on both the wireless and television, where his voice, by turns fruity and mischievous, was instantly recognisable. |
| The first person commemorated in London by a blue plaque was also a poet: Lord Byron in 1867. And between Byron and Betjeman there have been many others, including Lord Tennyson, TS Eliot, Ezra Pound, Dylan Thomas and Sylvia Plath. | The first person commemorated in London by a blue plaque was also a poet: Lord Byron in 1867. And between Byron and Betjeman there have been many others, including Lord Tennyson, TS Eliot, Ezra Pound, Dylan Thomas and Sylvia Plath. |
| I know this to be true because I've recently taken over the chairmanship of the blue plaque committee, and I also know that there are 800 such plaques in London, memorialising particular people and their links with particular buildings. | I know this to be true because I've recently taken over the chairmanship of the blue plaque committee, and I also know that there are 800 such plaques in London, memorialising particular people and their links with particular buildings. |
| But the word plaque, of course, doesn't just mean an ornamental tablet: it also refers to a film on the teeth where bacteria proliferate. And perhaps that's why, as I read up on Betjeman recently, I couldn't help noticing that he was notorious for his bad teeth, which he seems rarely to have brushed, and which were permanently covered, according to one of his girlfriends, in green slime. | But the word plaque, of course, doesn't just mean an ornamental tablet: it also refers to a film on the teeth where bacteria proliferate. And perhaps that's why, as I read up on Betjeman recently, I couldn't help noticing that he was notorious for his bad teeth, which he seems rarely to have brushed, and which were permanently covered, according to one of his girlfriends, in green slime. |
| Poetry and dentistry aren't obviously kindred professions, and Betjeman wasn't the only British writer of verse who failed to practice the most elementary forms of oral hygiene. | Poetry and dentistry aren't obviously kindred professions, and Betjeman wasn't the only British writer of verse who failed to practice the most elementary forms of oral hygiene. |
| Teething problems | Teething problems |
| There's a poem by Pam Ayres, regretting the sticky food she ate, and the decay and fillings she had to endure, through which runs the repeated lament "Oh I wish I'd looked after me teeth." But if you want substantial poetry with a dental dimension, you must cross the Atlantic, and go back more than one 150 years, to someone named Solyman Brown. | There's a poem by Pam Ayres, regretting the sticky food she ate, and the decay and fillings she had to endure, through which runs the repeated lament "Oh I wish I'd looked after me teeth." But if you want substantial poetry with a dental dimension, you must cross the Atlantic, and go back more than one 150 years, to someone named Solyman Brown. |
| One further indication of our national backwardness is that many Britons have bad teeth: ugly, discoloured, mis-shapen and badly aligned David Cannadine | One further indication of our national backwardness is that many Britons have bad teeth: ugly, discoloured, mis-shapen and badly aligned David Cannadine |
| In 1833, he produced The Dentologia: A Poem on the Diseases of the Teeth, with Notes, Practical, Historical, Illustrative and Explanatory, which ran to 54 pages. In its day, it was hailed as a literary masterpiece, and Brown was acclaimed as the Poet Laureate of Dentistry; but it's recently been included in an anthology of Very Bad Poetry, where it gives even William McGonagall a good run for his money. | In 1833, he produced The Dentologia: A Poem on the Diseases of the Teeth, with Notes, Practical, Historical, Illustrative and Explanatory, which ran to 54 pages. In its day, it was hailed as a literary masterpiece, and Brown was acclaimed as the Poet Laureate of Dentistry; but it's recently been included in an anthology of Very Bad Poetry, where it gives even William McGonagall a good run for his money. |
| In contrast to John Betjeman and Pam Ayres, however, Solyman Brown took care of his own teeth: and, indeed, he took care of many other American teeth too. Although originally ordained a Congregationalist minister, he was by profession a practising dentist in New York, and it's fair to say that he was a much better dentist than he was a poet. | In contrast to John Betjeman and Pam Ayres, however, Solyman Brown took care of his own teeth: and, indeed, he took care of many other American teeth too. Although originally ordained a Congregationalist minister, he was by profession a practising dentist in New York, and it's fair to say that he was a much better dentist than he was a poet. |
| In fact, he was so good at it that he became one of the founding fathers of the American dental profession. In 1839, which was also the year, so it's said, that baseball was originally organised, Brown helped establish the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, the first such institution of its kind anywhere in the United States. And he was also for a time the co-editor of the Journal of Dental Science, which was the first periodical in the world to be devoted to the treatment of teeth. | In fact, he was so good at it that he became one of the founding fathers of the American dental profession. In 1839, which was also the year, so it's said, that baseball was originally organised, Brown helped establish the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, the first such institution of its kind anywhere in the United States. And he was also for a time the co-editor of the Journal of Dental Science, which was the first periodical in the world to be devoted to the treatment of teeth. |
| Solyman Brown's endeavours are but one indication of a broader historical pattern: namely that across the 19th and 20th centuries, America has led the world in tooth maintenance and preservation. Dental floss was invented in New Orleans in 1815, and anaesthetics were first used in Connecticut 30 years later. | Solyman Brown's endeavours are but one indication of a broader historical pattern: namely that across the 19th and 20th centuries, America has led the world in tooth maintenance and preservation. Dental floss was invented in New Orleans in 1815, and anaesthetics were first used in Connecticut 30 years later. |
| The dentist's chair, modern fillings, toothpaste tubes, nylon brushes and Novocain were all originally developed in the United States. The field of orthodontics - the straightening of crooked teeth - was pioneered there, as was the practice of putting fluoride in drinking water. Not surprisingly, Americans like to think that they have the best dentists - and thus the best teeth - in the world. | The dentist's chair, modern fillings, toothpaste tubes, nylon brushes and Novocain were all originally developed in the United States. The field of orthodontics - the straightening of crooked teeth - was pioneered there, as was the practice of putting fluoride in drinking water. Not surprisingly, Americans like to think that they have the best dentists - and thus the best teeth - in the world. |
| Fangs for the memory | Fangs for the memory |
| They certainly think they have better teeth than we do. For Americans, part of the charm of visiting Britain is that it lacks many of what they regard as the essential amenities of modern living: the beer is warm, there's insufficient ice, air conditioning is still a novelty, and showers often provide at best a feeble jet of tepid water. | They certainly think they have better teeth than we do. For Americans, part of the charm of visiting Britain is that it lacks many of what they regard as the essential amenities of modern living: the beer is warm, there's insufficient ice, air conditioning is still a novelty, and showers often provide at best a feeble jet of tepid water. |
| Audrey Hepburn: Hollywood promoted the image of the perfect smile | Audrey Hepburn: Hollywood promoted the image of the perfect smile |
| And one further indication of our national backwardness is that many Britons have bad teeth: ugly, discoloured, mis-shapen and badly aligned. | And one further indication of our national backwardness is that many Britons have bad teeth: ugly, discoloured, mis-shapen and badly aligned. |
| There's some statistical support for this impression. In the United States, there's one dentist for every 1,700 people; in the United Kingdom the figure is higher. And while in America more than 60% of the population drink water that contains fluoride, in Britain the figure is significantly lower. | There's some statistical support for this impression. In the United States, there's one dentist for every 1,700 people; in the United Kingdom the figure is higher. And while in America more than 60% of the population drink water that contains fluoride, in Britain the figure is significantly lower. |
| But until the 19th Century, the common condition of all humanity, including the richest and most powerful, would have been what seems to us now the Betjeman-esque one of dental delinquency.Before then few portraits depict their subject's teeth: the Mona Lisa may be smiling enigmatically, but her lips remain sealed; and even Frans Hals Laughing Cavalier keeps his mouth tight shut. | But until the 19th Century, the common condition of all humanity, including the richest and most powerful, would have been what seems to us now the Betjeman-esque one of dental delinquency.Before then few portraits depict their subject's teeth: the Mona Lisa may be smiling enigmatically, but her lips remain sealed; and even Frans Hals Laughing Cavalier keeps his mouth tight shut. |
| The teeth of Queen Elizabeth I were black, and many of them had fallen out; while Louis XIV suffered a broken jaw when his physicians attempted to remove his rotten molars. | The teeth of Queen Elizabeth I were black, and many of them had fallen out; while Louis XIV suffered a broken jaw when his physicians attempted to remove his rotten molars. |
| Gum lobby | Gum lobby |
| Rumour has it that when Queen Elizabeth II sits for a new portrait, her first question to the artist is "with the teeth or without?", and Rolf Harris's recently depicted her with a fine set of right royal snappers. But until her time, that would have been unusual, even for a sovereign. | Rumour has it that when Queen Elizabeth II sits for a new portrait, her first question to the artist is "with the teeth or without?", and Rolf Harris's recently depicted her with a fine set of right royal snappers. But until her time, that would have been unusual, even for a sovereign. |
| Across the Atlantic, in colonial and newly-independent America, teeth were in no better condition. As in Britain, there was no established dental profession, and sugar and tobacco did a great deal of dental damage. | Across the Atlantic, in colonial and newly-independent America, teeth were in no better condition. As in Britain, there was no established dental profession, and sugar and tobacco did a great deal of dental damage. |
| From the age of 22, George Washington was in constant and unremitting pain from his teeth and his gums, and extractions became an almost annual occurrence. | From the age of 22, George Washington was in constant and unremitting pain from his teeth and his gums, and extractions became an almost annual occurrence. |
| By the time he was inaugurated as president, he had only one tooth left, and he wore out several sets of ill-fitting dentures, which habitually inflamed his gums. | By the time he was inaugurated as president, he had only one tooth left, and he wore out several sets of ill-fitting dentures, which habitually inflamed his gums. |
| If this was the unhappy experience of the founding father of the great republic, then what hope was there for lesser mortals? Even in the early 20th Century, and despite the great advances that had been made in dentistry, most Americans still didn't brush their teeth daily. | If this was the unhappy experience of the founding father of the great republic, then what hope was there for lesser mortals? Even in the early 20th Century, and despite the great advances that had been made in dentistry, most Americans still didn't brush their teeth daily. |
| So why was it, and when was it, that teeth in the United States came to differ from teeth in the United Kingdom? The explanations are doubtless many and varied, but I suspect that Hollywood had something to do with it. | So why was it, and when was it, that teeth in the United States came to differ from teeth in the United Kingdom? The explanations are doubtless many and varied, but I suspect that Hollywood had something to do with it. |
| Hollywood smiles | Hollywood smiles |
| Film stars were expected to be beautiful people, and since they were often photographed close up, usually just prior to kissing, they had to have good teeth. | Film stars were expected to be beautiful people, and since they were often photographed close up, usually just prior to kissing, they had to have good teeth. |
| As a result, many stars went to great pains, sometimes literally, to ensure they had a smile that the camera would love. When working on a screenplay for Sam Goldwyn, Scott Fitzgerald sent this fashion up in a memorable exchange he wrote for David Niven and Olivia de Havilland. | As a result, many stars went to great pains, sometimes literally, to ensure they had a smile that the camera would love. When working on a screenplay for Sam Goldwyn, Scott Fitzgerald sent this fashion up in a memorable exchange he wrote for David Niven and Olivia de Havilland. |
| "I'm going to ask you a very important question," Niven declares in the middle of a love scene. "Oh darling," de Havilland replies expectantly. "Tell me," Niven inquires, "who is... your dentist?" Fitzgerald was promptly dismissed; but in years to come, this was a question Americans would increasingly be asking, with Britons belatedly following suit in the years after the Second World War. | "I'm going to ask you a very important question," Niven declares in the middle of a love scene. "Oh darling," de Havilland replies expectantly. "Tell me," Niven inquires, "who is... your dentist?" Fitzgerald was promptly dismissed; but in years to come, this was a question Americans would increasingly be asking, with Britons belatedly following suit in the years after the Second World War. |
| Before the middle of the 20th century, most people in the west didn't care much for their teeth, and they expected to have them out sooner or later, and to wear dentures instead. | Before the middle of the 20th century, most people in the west didn't care much for their teeth, and they expected to have them out sooner or later, and to wear dentures instead. |
| That was the world in which John Betjeman grew up. By contrast, most members of my post-war generation have kept our teeth, albeit often with fillings and caps. And those in their twenties and younger, even in Britain, often have no fillings at all. | That was the world in which John Betjeman grew up. By contrast, most members of my post-war generation have kept our teeth, albeit often with fillings and caps. And those in their twenties and younger, even in Britain, often have no fillings at all. |
| Here is an astonishing success story: from dental despair to dental redemption. As such, it constitutes a minor revolution in human history, human behaviour, and human happiness. Yet it's a subject which still awaits its historian. It's high time some scholar got their sharp and shining teeth into it. | Here is an astonishing success story: from dental despair to dental redemption. As such, it constitutes a minor revolution in human history, human behaviour, and human happiness. Yet it's a subject which still awaits its historian. It's high time some scholar got their sharp and shining teeth into it. |
| Add your comments on this story, using the form below. | Add your comments on this story, using the form below. |