I’ve been exploring the forces behind people straightening their teeth. Grooming and beauty have been in human culture for thousands of years and those behavioural forces are very much alive in our culture today as well.
Source: Instagram, teeth_by_teki (Dream Smile Dental, Dr Teki Sowdani)
One force is Instagram (see teeth_by_teki snap with Rio Ferdinand, above). Here the compulsion to show your smile to your friends and the world at large persuades people to straighten their teeth.
I learned from the rather amazing and passionate orthodontist Mo (Dr Mohsen Tehranian, Mo does several hundred cases a year, that's a lot of experience) that you can choose to have a smile optimised for Instagram selfies or one optimised for face to face conversations. The angle is different with selfies taken from a high angle.
I also learning about the astonishing technology that allows a details 3D image of your teeth and what they could look like in a matter of minutes.
If you like what you see and want to go ahead, your Dr might discuss your imaging with technicians in Costa Rica based on technology developed in California. Once satisfied, your clear aligners (see first picture above) are made in Mexico and shipped by UPS back to London or Hong Kong in a few days. Wow.
It’s a level of personalised healthcare that would seem like science fiction. While the driver behind this is often the straight smile (and hence the consumer often liking the clear aligner system over metal braces) rather than medical problems, I still find it incredible.
While this is not investment advice, medical advice or any other kind of advice if you want to know the pro and cons of teeth straightening techniques, I know a man who knows... (or there's also me with the faux expertise of a few hours knowledge...)
How to live a life, well lived. Thoughts from a dying man. On play and playing games.
If you'd like to feel inspired by commencement addresses and life lessons try: Neil Gaiman on making wonderful, fabulous, brilliant mistakes; or Nassim Taleb's commencement address; or JK Rowling on the benefits of failure. Or Charlie Munger on always inverting; Sheryl Sandberg on grief, resilience and gratitude.
A provoking read on how to raise a feminist child.
Cross fertilise. Read about the autistic mind here.