Tuesday, May 7, 2013

My Bunny Teeth


Last year I went to the dentist for a routine cleaning.  At the end of my visit, my dentist asked me if there was anything I'd like to change about my smile.

I replied "No, not really."

"What do you plan on doing about your two front teeth?"

This came as a shocker to me.  Growing up, I always felt lucky that I never had to get braces, so my two front teeth never ever crossed my mind (except once when I got hit in the mouth with a softball... ugh).  I forget how I ended up answering his very forward question.

He continued, "Well, when I look at you, your front teeth are like, coming at me.  I could do a flizzle flam blahbitty blah...etc"... I forget what all he said there.  Something to do with teeth caps.

I politely listened and declined.

I went home and shared this shocking proposal with my husband who immediately wanted to punch my dentist in the face (figuratively).  Of course I became obsessed with my newly realized rabbit teeth, and started to wonder... do I look like a big dork every time I smile?  How noticeable is it?  Do I need to change them??  My husband, being the awesome man that he is, said he loved my smile and my cute teeth, and I shouldn't worry about them at all.

But it made me think of all the girls and guys out there, no matter how confident they may be about the way they look....if someone points out a part of their body as "flawed" or "fixable", how easily those words can really stick in one's craw, and can make a person question their once-believed-to-be beautiful bodies.  It's bad enough that we have photoshopped images in magazines, billboards, and special camera lenses that make actors and actresses look slimmer or taller. It's inevitable that, somewhere subconsciously, we will compare ourselves to these impossible images.  And now we're getting it from our dentists?  (I've only experienced this here in L.A..... maybe it's a Hollywood thing?)

So I tried picturing myself with perfect teeth.... and realized, even if I changed something as little as that, I feel like I wouldn't look like me anymore.  Yes, my teeth would be more "perfect", but "perfect" is boring.  The awesome thing about being human is that no one is the same (physically or mentally).  We're all made up of these incredible "flaws" that set us apart from everyone else in the world.  And it's so freaking cool and beautiful!

I just finished my photo shoots for my new album, and looking through my pictures I did notice my little rabbit teeth every now and then, but they make me smile now.  I've come to love how perfectly imperfect they are.

That being said, I do know that some (actually, a lot of) people get "work" done.  In some cases it's medical, and helps relieve them of physical pain.  And for others, it's cosmetic.  They do it to boost their self-esteem.  I don't judge anyone for the choices they make for their bodies.  I know how painful body issues can be (trust me.  It took me many, many years of mental work to be able to see myself in a truer light and have the self-confidence I do these days... and I could definitely improve on that still).  I just hope that whatever changes people do to their bodies, that it's not coming from anybody else's opinions,  or words.

I recently went back to that dentist for a checkup (yes, I went back to him.  He's a great dentist, and I wasn't going to let his pushiness and opinions defeat me from coming back to get my teeth cleaned).  He asked me again if I wanted to change anything about my smile.  Without hesitating, and with a tiny, knowing smile, I said, "Nope."

By the way, I just watched Before Sunrise last night.  LOVE!  And I freaking adore everything about Julie Delpy.  Especially her smile.  :)  


Love,
p.a.

22 comments:

  1. dont worry, you look cute with them!

    What a lucky man your husband is!

    :D

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  2. Hi Priscilla!

    You and your husband are absolutely right. It's funny, as a few days ago I wrote to a friend that I think it's the flaws that make someone perfect to me <3

    Keep smiling \(^o^)/
    Frederic

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  3. Hi Miss Priscilla Ahn, thank you so much for this post. your words me realize that, you do not have to be perfect just to be beautiful. All you gotta do is be yourself and that's it. I am more confident now. You inspire me so much and thank you. Have a good day ahead!

    -You Fan in the Philippines. :)

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    1. You're exactly right! Sometimes we need little reminders of this... ;) Lots of love to you!

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  4. Your dentist is crazy. There is nothing wrong with your teeth!

    I love Before Sunrise! Now you have to watch Before Sunset (if you haven't already seen it). There's going to be a third one coming out this year, Before Midnight, and I can't wait!

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    1. I know! I fell in love with Delpy after watching "2 Days in Paris" and then heard about Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. I'm so excited to know there's a 3rd coming out!! :)

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  5. I love your smile ever since I first saw you on youtube. Don't change anything your smile is beautiful!

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  6. Well thats what happens when your truly adorkable. I was going to say your gorgeous from head to foot but I missed out on a P kazooka and i'm not over it yet.
    I had bunny teeth just like yours , big beuties, yep could nearly eat an apple through a picket fence. Now I have fake ones, from working on cars. So Priscilla totally nearly gorgeous minus one kazooka and truly adorkable, could you please ask your dentist if he does bunny teeth or are his talents limited to plain Jane?
    I want my bunny teeth back.

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  7. They teach 'em that line at summer camp. Mine offered me, the less flattering, referral to panel beaters. Such an unscrupulous way to drum up business.
    The sight and sound of your smile does NOT need to be tinkered with.

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  8. What a heartwarming anecdote. My day got a lot brighter just reading it. :)

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  9. Love it when you said "how perfectly imperfect they are"

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  10. Priscilla, most people would love to have your teeth, your smile, your talent. I hope you find a new dentist.:)

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  11. You have one of the most charming faces, all around, that I've ever seen. I would pay someone to have teeth like yours. I think your dentist has debt he needs to pay off, and maybe you should offer to let him take a cast so that he can reproduce your insanely adorable teeth as caps for other people's teeth (I'm not trying to be creepy, just making a point.)

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  12. Ever stop to think it's all about the Benjamins? He's doing his job - upselling! He's a businessman. If he says that to ten patients I bet you he get's about three new patients. That's potentially thousands of dollars of additional revenue. Don't take it too personally. You have a beautiful smile.

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  13. Being perfect is boring. Imperfect is perfect. Ah, you just made my day! =)

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  14. You are beautiful. Thank you for sharing this. It's so easy to let what others say stay with you and cause insecurities or creep up on you when you're feeling down. You have a great attitude and outlook! :)

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  15. A month ago I got the same response from my dentist! Brief story, i had braces for 7 years (too long!) and my mum had noticed that one of my teeth was propping out. My housemate and I started joking about me having a snaggle tooth hehe. So then my mum insisted that I go and see a different orthodontist for a second opinion. I went along with it to make her happy and the dentist told me that if i wanted to fix it i would need to get braces. Immediately I asked if it was a functional issue or cosmetic issue. He replied, "it's a cosmetic issue". So then I was like, ok then I'm not going through braces again. I thought, hey teeth are always changing, just like the rest of our body. So i'm accepting that! I'm happy to hear that you went with your intuition Priscilla. p.s I LOVE BEFORE SUNRISE <3.

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  16. It's almost a little freaky how much I relate to this (including, bizarrely enough, the story of getting hit in the mouth with a softball, which happened to me in junior high!).

    My two front teeth stick out, but this was something I was never really conscious of until this guy I was dating told me "You're so beautiful you could be on TV.... But you'd have to get your teeth fixed." Fortunately, I'm no longer dating that super awesome guy, but I considered for a split second the idea. But my dad's front teeth stick out in the exact same way, and every time I smile, it's a reminder of him and I'm proud of it. So I agree, it's these little imperfections that make us all so unique. Besides that, my front teeth were not affected by the impact of that softball, so I know those things are freakin' resilient! They're keepers. :)

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  17. It's almost a little creepy how much I correspond with this (including, bizarrely enough, the tale of getting hit in the oral cavity with a baseball, which occurred to me in younger high!).

    Gold für World of Warcraft
    Gold For Runescape

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  18. Your articles make whole sense of every topic. Dentist

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