The damage of the 90′s can be seen in people’s teeth in Serbia. You can also see the the scars of vulgarity too: Those blue-white super teeth (Hollywood teeth) that the nouveau riche get done with enamel plates or crowns.

It underscores the problems here. Most people do not have enough, a tiny few have too much. I saw a young Roma teenager at the lights the other day. As he approached the car, I saw the decay on his front upper teeth. Untreated, they will be out in a few months.

Terrible really, even the most basic dental intervention would save his teeth.

have you read the essay by the croatian writer slavenka drakulic ‘on bad teeth’ (on her book café europa, life after communism)?

she talks about the awful health condition of most people’s teeth in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, and she uses her own example. when I read it I agreed because I had noted it myself. in the case of many people the problem is lack of money to pay even the basic care, but with others is not that. she links it with a culture of personal responsibility. I remember meeting some people who were actually very wealthy and looking at their teeth with horror… the essay is very interesting, because she doesn’t exclude herself from the problem she analizes.

anyway, back to the post, prevention and a yearly visit to the dentist are at the reach of the overwhelming majority of people.