The Real Mad Men Had Ugly Teeth

After a 17 month hiatus the popular television program a Mad Men returned to the screen.

Of course the main element driving the success of the Mad Men series is simply telling a good story. However the producers have also spared no expense in creating accurate costumes, props, and sets that recreate the illusion an authentic  ambiance of the 1950’s. The show has received critical acclaim for its historical authenticity and visual style.

However, there is one anachronism in Mad Men that is being overlooked—the Actor’s teeth!

I guess it is one of the successes of Cosmetic Dentistry that the Public no longer takes special notice of beautiful smiles- they’re just expected.

The actors may be dressed in 1950’s clothes, but they are flaunting 21^st century Smiles.  The Real Mad Men were stuck with ugly teeth and fillings if they were not blessed with perfect teeth by Nature.  Few had access to orthodontics, if they were raised in rural areas.  In the 1950's Aesthetic dentistry was the closely-held proprietary knowledge of relatively few dentists.

Young and Rubicam (Y & R), Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BBD&O), and even Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, all may have labored under the curses of cigarette smoking, drinking, sexism,, adultery, homophobia, and racism.  But the final ignominy was that their era condemned them to do it under the Curse of Ugly Smiles.

Here are some  smiles of wealthy men who could afford the best of what mid-20^th Century dentistry could produce:  

Here are the smiles of some of this year’s political  candidates:

   

 The difference in appearances in these two groups of smiles is elegant testimony to the great advances in Dentistry’s materials, techniques, and instrumentation.  Beautiful and attractive smiles are the norm,today, because they are so easily available. 

President Obama was right when he said ”Americans can afford ANYTHING they wish to have—Just not EVERYTHING, they wish to have.”  He was referring to the National Budget, but he could have been referring to everyone's need to prioritize: automobiles, digital music, cosmetics, cigarettes, health food, cruises,  athletic shoes, real estate,recreational drugs & liquor, jewelry, TVs, computers, digital music players, gambling, smart phones, or Healthy Teeth and a Great Smile.