Girls Flocking to Dentists for Vampire-like Fangs
Princess 19 on 7 Nov 2011 at 9:00am
Talk about being a fan of the Twilight movies. A growing trend in Japan has young girls everywhere paying good yen for a cosmetic procedure to make their teeth crooked a la "vampre fangs." This takes having a crooked smile to another level.
It's called "yaeba" the Japanese word for a double tooth condition. We, Americans, lovingly call this condition "snaggletooth." It's the antithesis of Invisalign. Young Japanese girls are clamoring to get this look. The procedure calls for a dentist to affix larger plastic veneers to canines (the pointy teeth in the front) so that they appear protruded and larger than the other front teeth. The custom-made choppers are basically stuck on with non-permanent adhesive similar to putting on Lee press-on nails - only for teeth.
Why are these young ladies doing this?
Apparently, having crooked teeth make women more approachable in Japan and less intimidating. The trend is similar to Japanese women wearing non-prescription glasses to appear more grounded or book smart vs. overly-attractive and "out of anyone's league."
“It’s not like here, where perfect, straight, picket-fence teeth are considered beautiful,” said beauty blogger Michelle Phan, a Vietnamese-American based in Los Angeles. “In Japan, in fact, crooked teeth are actually endearing, and it shows that a girl is not perfect. And, in a way, men find that more approachable than someone who is too overly perfect.”
Boy, talk about false advertising.
But, this trend may not be "oh so healthy" to one's overall dental health. Japanese orthodontist, Masaru Iwatsuki told CNN says it's a "crazy idea."
“Teeth have holes to let oxygen in. Covering them is bad for the tooth’s health.”
But, don't tell that to the dental practice in Japan that is cashing in on this phenomenom. They have patients rushing to their offices to get it done - all for ¥30,000 or $390 American dollars. Yeesh. Better not accidentally swallow those suckers. Go, Team Edward.
It's really no surprise that this style is all the rage in Japan. They did make teeth tattoos popular and club kids are making body inflation (the act of getting saline injections to inflate skin) trendy. The inflation of choice? A donut head. Really.
Only in Japan, folks....
Want a good chuckle? Check out the promotional video regarding the yaeba procedure below - comes complete with kitchy harajuku music to heighten the interest factor. It's all in Japanese, but you'll get the idea.
Photo Credits: odditycentral and Plaisir Dental Salon, Japan
Are you actually seeing demand for this? If so, I'd love to know how frequently you are performing the treatment.
Now that Twilight has started to fall from popularity, I would be surprised if the demand for this continued.
I'm also curious about the functionality of the permanent fangs. It seems they would take a lot more wear & force when eating due to their extra length, which I would assume would mean the need to replace them more frequently than regular dental veneers, which it seems many dentists say will last 10-15 years.
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I just came across a review of a community member who basically had the opposite of this procedure done in the U.S. Click here to check out her review.
I think I would've loved being a teenager in Japan.
This is crazy, but at least it's not permanent.