All posts tagged: Teeth

SNL mocked Aimee Lou Wood’s teeth. Now she’s hosting the UK version – what a power move

SNL mocked Aimee Lou Wood’s teeth. Now she’s hosting the UK version – what a power move

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter One year ago, Saturday Night Live mocked Aimee Lou Wood with a lazy, tasteless sketch about her teeth. Now, in an impressive power move, she’s set to host SNL UK. It’s sure to be must-watch television, and a masterful resetting of the narrative by Wood. We’ve all dreamt about getting one up on those who’ve hurt us, but what if you could revisit that insulting joke they made about you, and beat them at their own game, on national television? This choice of host has to be the biggest thing to happen on a series that has already reinvigorated the British comedy scene, brought us the greatest Princess Diana impression the world has witnessed, and, most surprisingly, been shared by Donald Trump. It was in April last year that Wood, her star rising higher and higher following her endearing, heartfelt turn …

Ancient platypus had teeth 25 million years ago, fossils reveal

Ancient platypus had teeth 25 million years ago, fossils reveal

Published by Jenni Sidey

For an animal that already looks assembled from spare parts, the platypus has added another twist to its history. Fossils from South Australia point to an ancient species, Obdurodon insignis, that looked a lot like the modern platypus but still carried a full set of crushing teeth. Living platypuses do not. Adults use tough grinding pads instead, one of the features that make them stand apart from nearly every other mammal on Earth. That contrast matters because the new remains do more than add another strange detail to an already strange animal. They suggest the platypus body plan had settled into something close to its modern form by the late Oligocene, around 25 million years ago, even before the living species lost its teeth. “Platypuses are extremely rare in the fossil record and are often restricted to teeth, so it’s exciting to find new material and learn more about these unique mammals,” said study co-author Dr. Aaron Camens of Flinders University. Palaeontologists found one fossil at the Billeroo Creek site in 2017. (CREDIT: Aaron Camens) …

SNL UK: Aimee Lou Wood turns ‘mean’ teeth joke on its head as she prepares to host show

SNL UK: Aimee Lou Wood turns ‘mean’ teeth joke on its head as she prepares to host show

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Aimee Lou Wood has kicked off her time hosting Saturday Night Live UK by poking fun at the US show’s “unfunny and mean” sketch which ridiculed her teeth. Last year, British actor Wood found herself at the centre of a controversy after her character on The White Lotus was parodied on Saturday Night Live. Cast member Sarah Sherman wore exaggerated prosthetic teeth in an attempt to parody Wood’s appearance, which the British actor took issue with on social media. Wood (left) poked fun at the ‘SNL’ sketch in her week six promo for ‘SNL UK’ (Saturday Night Live UK/Instagram) The Sex Education star, 32, is returning to the franchise as the host of the SNL UK this weekend (2 May), and mocked the controversy in a pre-episode teaser clip starring cast members Ayoade Bamgboye, Al Nash, Celeste Dring and Paddy Young. …

People In Other Countries Are Weirded Out By How Much Americans Smile

People In Other Countries Are Weirded Out By How Much Americans Smile

Published by Jenni Sidey

Smiling is a big part of American culture. When we pass strangers in the street, thank the server at a restaurant, or squeeze past someone in the grocery store, we flash them our pearly whites.  While this act may seem like a small way to spread positivity, people from other countries say that they find it unsettling. Tourists within those countries are easily marked as Americans when they smile too much or have perfect teeth. This smile-related gap tells a lot about nonverbal communication in other countries and how Americans have put pressure on showcasing the “perfect smile”.  People from other countries find the American act of smiling a lot to be fake and call it ‘turkey teeth.’ We see smiling at others as a way of being polite, and for a lot of people, it’s something done subconsciously. For non-Americans, though, it’s weird.  In the U.K., they have deemed this type of smile as “turkey teeth”, a derogatory term that links back to Britons who would come back from Turkey with cheap veneers. Even …

No, white teeth don’t mean healthy teeth

No, white teeth don’t mean healthy teeth

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Fans of period dramas often love seeing fabulous costumes and sets on-screen. However, in recent years, critics have pointed out that one thing can immediately dispel historical accuracy: actors’ blindingly white, perfect teeth.  Even though many societies put great value on white teeth throughout history, the limitations of pre-modern dentistry meant that our ancestors often suffered from painful, visible tooth decay.  While modern dental practices have spared many of us from suffering the worst types of dental diseases, people today are still very preoccupied with how white their smile looks. According to the American Dental Association, Americans are expected to spend $8.21 billion dollars in 2026 on whitening products and procedures. But are white teeth actually healthier? Dentists say not necessarily. Do everyone’s teeth start off white? Not everyone’s teeth start out pearly white, Dr. Diana Nguyen, the chief of General Clinical Dentistry and associate professor at University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry, tells Popular Science.  “There …

Brushing your teeth in hospital could prevent catching a bad infection

Brushing your teeth in hospital could prevent catching a bad infection

Published by skeptic

The benefits of brushing in hospital have been overlooked Drazen Zigic/Getty Images Brushing your teeth while being treated in hospital can significantly reduce your chances of falling ill with pneumonia. Many hospitalised patients don’t brush their teeth during their stay, probably for a variety of reasons. Some may have forgotten to bring a toothbrush, while others don’t think about it, feel unmotivated or are physically incapable of doing so. Medical staff often do not include routine oral hygiene care as part of their services to patients. But in the largest randomised controlled trial of its kind, patients equipped with a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental care advice in hospitals were 60 per cent less likely to develop a common form of hospital-acquired pneumonia, says Brett Mitchell at Avondale University in Australia. “This just really enforces the need for communication with patients about pneumonia risk, and the importance of oral care and brushing their teeth whilst in hospital,” he says. It’s widely understood that patients on ventilators often develop pneumonia, due, in part, to the medical equipment …

Ancient teeth unlock million-year-old secrets of where early humans evolved

Ancient teeth unlock million-year-old secrets of where early humans evolved

Published by Jenni Sidey

Teeth are like tiny biological time capsules. They tell stories about ancient diets and environments long after their owners have died and landscapes have changed. After bones break down, tooth enamel stays hard and unchanged, even in fossilized teeth that have been buried under sediment and rock for millions of years and are now being uncovered by erosion or excavation. Tooth enamel forms when an animal is young, and it remains chemically stable for the rest of that animal’s life. The food an animal eats and the water it drinks during its youth leave chemical signals within the enamel. Because of that, hidden within the enamel of fossilized teeth, scientists can find traces of extinct forests, expanding savanna grasslands, shifting climates and evolving animal communities. A small group of oryx forage in the open savanna of Awash National Park in Ethiopia, with scattered acacia trees and dry grasses illustrating the park’s semi-arid environment. (CREDIT: Zelalem Bedaso) These clues from ancient meals are enabling scientists to reconstruct pictures of entire ecosystems, including forests, wetlands and grasslands that existed at the time. It’s …

It’s not a dental issue: An oral medicine specialist says what a painful mouth might actually mean if you’re a woman over 50

It’s not a dental issue: An oral medicine specialist says what a painful mouth might actually mean if you’re a woman over 50

Published by Daniella Wilson

You might notice a scalding, intense stinging sensation in your mouth – a deeply unpleasant feeling that, understandably, can start to take a toll on your daily life. If this discomfort persists, you may be experiencing what is medically known as Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS). To help us understand the condition better, we spoke with Dr Dídac Sotorra Figuerola, a leading specialist in Oral Medicine and Pathology, shared his expertise on how to identify and manage this persistent condition.  He also specifies who might be more at risk of BMS. “As a general rule, the condition most commonly affects women around the time of the menopause, typically between the ages of 50 and 60,” he reveals.  “That being said, it can occur at almost any age, usually from 30 onwards, and can affect men as well. We’re also seeing a growing trend of younger patients being diagnosed.” What exactly is Burning Mouth Syndrome? BMS is a chronic condition characterised by a painful stinging or scalding sensation throughout the mouth. While the disorder isn’t physically dangerous, …

Jenny McCarthy reveals cause of gruesome mystery illness that led to eye growths and teeth decay

Jenny McCarthy reveals cause of gruesome mystery illness that led to eye growths and teeth decay

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Jenny McCarthy has revealed the mysterious illness that left her with “oozing” eye growths and tooth decay. The Masked Singer judge, 53, said she went through six months of “living hell” due to a medical mystery until she was diagnosed with mycotoxin poisoning — also known as toxic mold. “The last time I was here, I was literally on my way to the biological dentist because I had gone through six months of living hell,” McCarthy said on Tuesday’s episode of Maria Menounos’ Heal Squad podcast. “I had an infected root canal. What wound up happening was it didn’t get cleaned out all the way.” McCarthy said that she underwent several surgeries as she tried to figure out the source of her symptoms, which …

Teeth ‘N’ Smiles review: Self Esteem is the ultimate 60s rock star

Teeth ‘N’ Smiles review: Self Esteem is the ultimate 60s rock star

Published by Daniella Wilson

A star rating of 3 out of 5. It’s very common when imagining the world of ’60s rock and roll, to conjure up an image tainted with Hollywood glamour. To see the life of drink, drugs and sex while travelling on the road through the rose-tinted lens of an Annie Leibovitz photoshoot. So it’s unbelievably refreshing when you get a rather more British take on it, that is a seedy, unkempt, patchwork version, that literally reeks of cigar smoke and every single thing on stage is brown. This is the world of David Hare’s Teeth ‘N’ Smiles, a play originally written in 1975 when the idealistic world of classic rock was fading into raw defiance of punk, when, as Hare puts it, conversations about “civil rights and the radical overhaul of society” had become “drinkers talking about themselves and their relationships”. The premise is simple and based on a real-world instance, when The Rolling Stones, at the peak of fame, were booked to perform at an Oxford University ball, leading him to the question: what …