November 6, 2012
Disclaimer: The author in no way seeks to identify herself with either party or candidate by means of this article. She is currently looking for a website on Romney’s teeth, but it seems they are just not white enough.
After the vice presidential debate on October 11, Twitter feeds were full of comments about Biden’s teeth and their pearly white appearance. But his teeth weren’t noticed by only the Twitter simpletons – they were also the subject, and title, of several newspaper articles. (My favorite: Seattle Weekly’s “Joe Biden’s Teeth Win Vice Presidential Debate!”)
Sparked by the popularity gained on Twitter and national publications, the website JoeBidensTeeth.com was created. It includes the Battle Hymn of Hygiene and links to Dentists for Obama and Dental Hygienists for Obama, as well as a Wish List from the creators of the website, which includes these four wishes (and I’m quoting them exactly as they appear on the site):
1. Shepard Fairey to design for us
2. Interview with Joe Biden’s dentist (who we can’t track down)
3. Mention OR APPEARANCE on the Colbert Report in bear costumes.
4. Erica Hill quality coverage from Anderson Cooper 360.
As the makers of the website say, Joe Biden is not affiliated with the site, “but we bet his teeth love it.”
There are also brushing tips and a tooth ID game, which features the smiles of Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, and various celebrities (pictured above).
Why is this relevant? Well, according to theFiscal Times, one “offbeat” way to predict the winner of the election is to judge the candidate’s teeth whiteness.
“[T]he contrast in whiteness between the candidates can even predict how close the race will be (for example, George W. Bush had only slightly whiter teeth than Al Gore in 2000, and thus won by a narrow margin)” the article explains.
Although Biden is only a vice presidential candidate, Obama did win over Romney in the pearly whites category.
Should teeth whiteness serve as a predictor of the election, we may see a bump in dental appointments in 2016.
Lauren Burns is the editor of Proofs magazine and the email newsletters RDH Graduate and Proofs. She is currently based out of New York City. Follow her on Twitter: @ellekeid.
