Comment by nostromo
5 years ago
Smiling prominently for portraits seemed to become more popular only after modern dentistry became common.
I imagine most people in the Middle Ages (and much later) had chipped, missing, buckled, crooked and stained teeth.
Now pristine teeth are a signal of wealth (even though they're usually 100% fake veneers, at least among actors and models) so people want to signal their wealth by smiling prominently.
Teeth in skeletons from the Middle Ages seem fine. It is later ones, after bringing sugar back from the Americas, that have lots of cavities and missing teeth.
Check out the thesis of the recent bestseller Breath by James Nestor. Native American and other traditional cultures put serious emphasis on nose breathing, strictly avoiding mouth breathing. Apparently, consistent nose-breathing can affect nasal and upper-palate development, favoring a spacious mouth and straighter teeth. It can also help avoid dry mouth at night, apparently favoring resistance to dental caries. There is a book by a 19th century ethnographer who discovered some of this, titled Shut Your Mouth and Save Your Life.[1]
[1] https://www.consciousbreathing.com/articles/shut-your-mouth-...
A couple of years ago I forced myself to sleep with my mouth shut. It helped undry me mouth. But, through my own pressure I started to be a heavy teeth grinder in the night. That’s definitely worse for me.
This is complete pseudoscience. The Sawbones podcast has a good overview of this idea: https://maximumfun.org/episodes/sawbones/mewing/
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That seems natural and obvious?
But unless you have a secret mucus prevention technique, you'll mouth breathe.
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Both beets and sugar cane are old world plants, and maize-based corn syrup wasn't used as a sweetener until the 20th century. It's true that refined sugar is terrible for dental health, but it didn't come from the americas.
It wasn’t known that beets could be exploited for sugar until the 16th century. Sugar cane was not known in Europe (outside Muslim-ruled areas of Spain) until post-Colombian times. In antiquity, the sole common means of sweetening food in Europe was honey, and later dulce de leche.
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Getting kind of off-topic here, but my recollection is that teeth in the pre-industrial age were often destroyed over time by grit from flour milling that would wear down teeth.
There was a Han Dynasty (200 BC - 200 AD) ritual involving feeding mush to 70-year-olds. (Why mush? Because at that age you've probably lost your teeth.)
However, I have the impression that this is basically as true today as it was then.
It was also an issue of the speed of capture. Paintings and old Cameras had long exposure times so you needed a pose that you could hold for a long time.
https://time.com/4568032/smile-serious-old-photos/
Used to be that you checked cattle's teeth for problems before buying - that's why it's impolite to "look a gift horse in the mouth".
Also done with slaves, from what I've read. Nowadays it's voluntary, sort of.
You don't have to open your mouth or show your teeth when you smile.