The Yaeba Smile

While most cultures have gained an attachment to perfection when it comes to teeth, in Japan, girls are finding snaggle teeth to be preferable. Yaeba actually means double tooth, it’s used to describe a dental oddity that occurs when two molars crowd the canines and create an effect of one of the teeth being pushed forward and another back. It occurs naturally because of a delay in baby teeth, or a mouth is abnormally small for the size of the teeth, creating crowding. We actually have seen snaggle tooth occur in American celebrities. Kirsten Dunst for example, loves her snaggle teeth and it is now seen to be part of her image. Part of the popularity is because of celebrities having kept their yaeba teeth; it also offers a youth like appearance. The most popular reason people give is that it makes girls seem approachable and less than perfect, so men prefer it and it is the actual driving force.