Japan, often home to some of the weirdest and wackiest crazes, has come up with the strangest one yet – young women who clip on false “crooked” teeth in an effort to look younger. Or, at least that’s why some of them have signed up for the “Yaeba” or “Double-tooth” procedure, in which non-permanent false teeth are stuck to the patient’s real smile. Others have elected to have vampire-style fangs made for them, in reference to the popular Twilight series!

In the UK, however, straight teeth are still very much in demand and vampire fangs are for Halloween only. Patients at Harley Street Dental Studio are much more likely to be asking what we can do to straighten up their crooked smile rather than asking us to mess up a perfect set of teeth! At least “Yaeba” is only temporary and no one yet seems to have undergone dental treatment to make their natural teeth permanently crooked. Any dentist who agreed to a treatment like that would be very irresponsible, as a straight smile isn’t just for cosmetic reasons, but can actually help improve your oral hygiene.

Most people with crooked smiles or gaps in their natural teeth undergo orthodontic treatment while they’re teenagers, but braces are becoming a more common sight in adult mouths. Perhaps the patient didn’t want to have ugly metal braces when they were younger and have now decided to treat themselves to some of the innovative new kinds of orthodontic treatment on the market. Maybe their past orthodontic work wasn’t very successful and they have decided to have another try. Often, women come to us for orthodontic consultations a few months before their wedding day, determined that they are going to look their absolute best on the most important day of their lives.

Braces and aligners have come a long way in recent years, with the most modern designs proving a big hit with patients of all ages. Most aligners these days are practically invisible, are much more comfortable than the old “train tracks” and can even be temporarily removed by the patient for cleaning and the odd important social occasion. And all to create a perfect, straight smile – much more attractive than a crooked grin or vampire fangs!