Britain's Bad Smiles Revealed

LONDON, Feb 12, 2009— -- The Brits and their bad teeth have been the butt of many an American joke.

A recent online survey conducted in the U.K. may help to explain the cause of the national stereotype: Some are practicing dentistry on themselves at home. No surgery, no sanitation, no equipment and a lot of pain.

Which?, a British consumer magazine, asked customers online last month if they had ever performed dentistry on themselves. And of the 2,631 adults asked, 210 said they had.

The do-it-yourselfers described procedures ranging from popping an ulcer with a pin to pulling out a tooth by tying a piece of string to a door handle.

From this unofficial poll, which the British government has denounced, Which? estimated that as many as 3 million Brits look after their own teeth, which would work out to about 5 percent of the U.K.'s estimated 61 million residents.

The consumer magazine found that fear of the dentist was the most common reason for avoiding the dental clinic. People would rather check their bank balance, go to the gym or hit the shops on a busy afternoon than sit in the dentist's chair.

The survey found that more than a quarter of do-it-yourselfers had tried to pull out a tooth with pliers, 11 percent had used household glue to stick down a filling or crown, 8 percent had tried to mend dentures themselves and 6 percent had stuck down a loose filling with chewing gum.

The most common home-dental procedure, however, is tooth whitening, with 30 percent attempting to whiten their teeth with household cleaning products.

The British Dental Association (BDA) strongly advises against resorting to do-it-yourself care. Susie Sanderson, chairwoman of the BDA executive board, said, "While worries about accessing or paying for dental care can clearly be a concern, it really isn't advisable to resort to do-it-yourself care. We hear too many horror stories about people pulling out the wrong tooth, or causing themselves to have an infection, and urge anyone considering this path to think again."

The BDA suggests contacting local dentists to deal with any concerns, although that's apparently easier said than done -- which is what prompted Which? to get to the bottom of the real problems with British dentistry today.