I am not entirely sure it is hereditary

[Beebo]

Could be a lack of calcium in the diet making the teeth weak.

 

[Ian H]

She's blaming genetics.

I blame emotive language for turning what might be an observation into an accusation.

 

[midlife]

Could be a lack of calcium in the diet making the teeth weak.

The body prioritises calcium for teeth over bones when growing... Bones can be bowed and bending as a child but the teeth are OK. Apparently teeth are important for survival in the wild lol

 

[Fab Foodie]

One of my colleagues has what she calls s**t teeth, takes after her dad apparently and her daughter is going the same way despite brushing every day.
I can't speak for her dad as I have never met the guy however I do know that mother and daughter both consume sugary fizzy drinks, fatty salty foods and both are over weight, can't help thinking maybe they are more likely the reasons for bad teeth than genetics. I could be wrong.

Both my parents had s**t teeth and so have I despite giving them regular TLC. The formation of teeth like every other aspects of living organisms are founded in the genes so certainly the quality of peoples teeth will be a function if their genes and therefore inherited characterisrics. That’s not to say that there are not other environmental factors that come into play - many of which might be greater than genetics....

 

[midlife]

For the first 30 or years of my life before I made a lot of lifestyle changes, I led a ridiculously unhealthy lifestyle - drank lots of fizzy drinks, ate all sorts of sweet rubbish, smoked 20 - 30 a day.

At about 35, I had toothache and booked a dental appointment. The first since I was a teen. I was expecting a telling off and a serious amount of work needing doing and a bill to match but the dentist told me my teeth were in much better condition than average for my age and that I must take good care of myself. Er..

Genetics probably do definitely play a part in these things.

Smoking damages gums but not teeth. Your idea of an unhealthy diet is probably good compared to what other people eat. The cut off point for fizzy drinks doing damage is probably about 1.5 - 2litres per day spread out over 8 episodes. Similarly for sugary things, 2 packets of biscuits a day and cake, plus sweets not uncommon!

 

[tyred]

Smoking damages gums but not teeth. Your idea of an unhealthy diet is probably good compared to what other people eat. The cut off point for fizzy drinks doing damage is probably about 1.5 - 2litres per day spread out over 8 episodes. Similarly for sugary things, 2 packets of biscuits a day and cake, plus sweets not uncommon!

I would have drank one or two cans of Coke on a typical day. I could definitely have put away a lot sweet stuff too as I had a lot of mental health issues and tended to comfort-eat but it wasn't a daily thing on hindsight. I may have binge-eaten my way through a load of muitipacks from the pound shop but it would have one or two nights and then a gap before it happened again.

I agree about perceptions of diet as I have young work colleagues who have diets which are truely scary in terms of sugar consumed and it is a daily thing. One guy's desk looks like a sweet shop every morning as he lays out all his snacks for the day while he continues to get heavier and heavier.

 

[midlife]

I would have drank one or two cans of Coke on a typical day. I could definitely have put away a lot sweet stuff too as I had a lot of mental health issues and tended to comfort-eat but it wasn't a daily thing on hindsight. I may have binge-eaten my way through a load of muitipacks from the pound shop but it would have one or two nights and then a gap before it happened again.

I agree about perceptions of diet as I have young work colleagues who have diets which are truely scary in terms of sugar consumed and it is a daily thing. One guy's desk looks like a sweet shop every morning as he lays out all his snacks for the day while he continues to get heavier and heavier.

Yep, some people have scary diets compared to the rest of us. Binge episodes with nothing in between gives the body and teeth time to recover, it's the relentless exposure hour after hour and day after day to an unhealthily diet that tips people into health issues. Been on the BBC about this today or yesterday.

There is some very unethical research into dental heath and diet at Viperholm many years ago about very bad diets and dental health.

Historically at times of austerity people buy less meat and more veg, in more recent times austerity means buying more sugar and fat as its cheap.

 

[Edwardoka]

This thread has some posts with gross, mean-spirited generalisations and punching down.

Using "I have a glandular problem" to mock obese people is from the same school of shaming as using "I identify as an attack helicopter" to negate trans people and is equally unimpressive, unhelpful, and unoriginal.

It's no coincidence that there is a high correlation between obesity, bad teeth, addiction and poverty.

As for inheritability: is bruxism genetic? What about mental health? Both of these lead to poor dental outcomes.
Of course poverty and the lifestyle that you grew up with isn't genetic but that doesn't mean it's not inherited.

 

[Levo-Lon]

This thread has some posts with gross, mean-spirited generalisations and punching down.

Using "I have a glandular problem" to mock obese people is from the same school of shaming as using "I identify as an attack helicopter" to negate trans people and is equally unimpressive, unhelpful, and unoriginal.

It's no coincidence that there is a high correlation between obesity, bad teeth, addiction and poverty.

As for inheritability: is bruxism genetic? What about mental health? Both of these lead to poor dental outcomes.
Of course poverty and the lifestyle that you grew up with isn't genetic but that doesn't mean it's not inherited.

Or as i said earlier, we live in a society where we need to blame it on something or someone.


Ive smoked for years "not anymore" drank beer for ever in large quantities at times for long periods, consumed huge amounts of recreation drugs.. But i always clean my teeth 2-3 times a day.
My gums have receded a little but there healthy.

If i consumed lots of sugar fizzy drinks and lived on junk food and rarely cleaned my teeth i guess i may have shyte teeth, bad breath and other hygiene related issues.

Generalised comments are usually full of truths, but someone will always shout foul.
Its a no brainer, if you doot take care of things you will lose it, or get very fat if you eat rubbish.
We see on the news that some crap parents allow little "shyte" to only eat what it wants.. But it's our fault.. Ffs

Im going to tuck into my musili and black tea for brekkie, and a salad for lunch..

Now my wife eats chocolate and buscuits by the shed load and avoids most greens.
She is overweight and has lots of health issues, doesn't smoke and has been tea total all her life.
She also goes to the dentists twice a year and cleans her teeth religiously.. Guess what, she still has all her teeth at 63 and there very good

 

[Chris S]

My mother's family have bad teeth so I took could care of mine. They still chip or break at random.

 

[MichaelW2]

Sports energy drinks are just as bad as recreational/leisure fizzy drinks. In particular the constant sipping of sports or fizzy drinks is bad practice.

 

[Globalti]

Generally Africans have lovely white, even teeth. I remember the daughter of one African friend asking me: "Why are your teeth yellow?"

 

[mudsticks]

Can't we just agree it a little bit nature, a little bit nurture, without getting so 'judgy'..

"There but for the grace of (whoever) go I"

Good (or bad) teeth genetics probably do run in families, to a degree.

Just as to a certain extent we learn our lifestyle habits from our parents.

Both my parents had pretty bad teeth perhaps as a result of wartime privation (I don't know for sure(

But they brought me up to brush regularly, eat lots of healthy stuff like veg.
And I also drank gallons of milk as a kid in the 1970's..
Not something they'd have been able to do under rationing ..

And I didn't eat many sweets / drink fizzy stuff as a kid..
Maybe cos of this.. I've reached 51 with no fillings... Lucky / clever ol me..

But sugar addiction seems highly prevalent these days
It's in everything, and most kids (and a lot of adults) are habituated to it.

It's a cheap filler in cheap food.
If you're on a low income, it's what you'll end up eating a lot of.

It is up to the individual ultimately..
Once they're an adult, but none of these 'choices' are made in a vacuum, there are pressures from all sides.. To deny that is unrealistic.

Accessing decent healthy food, or weaning yself off junk food / sugar, isn't as simple as just using willpower alone.

 

[cyberknight]

Mine are bad
lost most of my lower molars and i think its down to my wisdom teeth , i had to have them cut out under general anesthetic as they were growing in sideways and pushing the others about causing a lot of pain .
Ever since i have had issues with my teeth even though i brush twice a day , floss etc .
Dont drink sugary drinks , no sugar in hot drinks, dont eat sweets much and avoid stuff that sticks to my teeth if i do .

 

[Lullabelle]

Yesterday as well as her lunch she ate crisps, chocolate bars, a bag of fruit pastilles and drank a can of coke. That can't be good for her teeth!