Why do Americans love to check on other people's teeth and use "smile" pretext?

I was taught from my childhood - well, all people here - to be normal and serious and that mindless and reasonless smiles are a trait of an idiot. We smile when we are happy and laugh when we hear a joke.


Americans are constantly trying to look inside your mouth, and their spiel goes: "I want to see your smile". It's obvious that they want to see your teeth, not your smile. Do they think that they are all dentists or something? And how queer and insulting such an approach is - we are not horses to have our teeth checked by all and sundry.

Why do Americans love to check on other people's teeth and use "smile" pretext?
Most Americans won't say this.





Some may say this if they think you are sad, or they have known you for a long time, but they rarely see you happy or smiling. In general, though, this is not a common thing for Americans to say.





If someone is saying this in a rude manner (because they want to scrutinize your teeth), then just ignore them, leave them, and allow them to think about what they did wrong.
Reply:I guess we do tend to look at people teeth. But i don't think its a conscious thing. With all they teeth whitening creams and strips on the shelves, as well as a vast assortment of toothpastes, jokes on the busted grillz of some foreign coutries, etc, maybe americans do check teeth out alot. why we are fixated on it, i'm not sure.





i myself will glance at somebodies teeth while they are talking to me. I think americans do this because we are critical about everything and people tend to gossip about other people about their shortcomings.
Reply:The old saying goes "Never judge a book by its cover", unfortunately society does. A pleasant smile from someone on a first impression is easier on the eyes than a missing front tooth or none at all for that matter. When I was a kid, I had badly flouride stained front teeth. I was VERY self concious and NEVER smiled without covering my mouth. Thankfully before I entered into high school, I got my teeth fixed. My self esteem increased tremendously. Not only because I got a beautiful smile that I had always wanted but also because the teasing from my childhood peers had come to an end!
Reply:When I might say... smile.... to someone it's because they look sad... it's another way of saying cheer up.

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