[climber07]

So it seems to me like Asia represents a sort of "Undiscovered Country", if you will, in a field of orthodontics. Why is that that no one has really jumped on this arbitrage opportunity??? There is big money dropped here every single day on high fasion and accessories....but the fasion doesn't often compliment the smiles So if money is not the issue, what is it????

Is it a difficulty of getting licensed and starting a practice in HK, Tokyo, etc? I'm really curious. It's a public service that really needs to be addressed.

[MikeLowrey]

Alot of Asians still think getting braces is considered as getting a cosmetic surgery, so it's quite a taboo here. W

I'm a 23 year old guy with 3m smartclips, and their metallic appearance draws confused stares from everyone. Oh well, I guess that's karma, I used to tease all my friends for having braces, now I'm stuck with braces myself in a country where getting braces falls in the same line as getting a nose job.

[freeier]

very common in singapore.

[jayinhongkong]

You could always get the enamel-colored clips. They're pretty popular here.

[sunniefaith]

I had braces when I was 27. It was just out of vanity and plus it was free at the same time. I just had one crooked teeth that I wanted to straighten out. I did have my braces with colours. Different colours all the time.

[Lammarite]

A lot of people go to Bangkok or elsewhere in Thailand for dental work as it is 1/3rd the cost and done by (usually) Canadian trained dentists who have the latest gear.
If you need a lot of work done it works out cheaper to fly there, do the work, stay a couple of days in a hotel for R&R and fly back.

[jayinhongkong]

I think the real issue in HK is Chinese culture. Chinese people simply don't think of teeth as being all that important and necessary to attractiveness. Being the Western-cultured gentleman that I am, I am often horrified when I see an otherwise gorgeous Chinese girl smile at me with teeth reminscent of Stephen King's "It."

On the flip side, I'm sure a lot of Chinese people think my baggy jeans and straight razor lined-up beard look silly, so to each their own, right? I remember meeting a gorgeous 19-year-old Chinese girl in GZ who I still e-mail occasionally. She had flawless skin, a beautiful smile and spoke excellent English. Unfortunately, her breath was reminiscent of a Mongkok garbage truck. I guess the whole tongue-cleaning thing hasn't caught on in a big way yet.

[sunniefaith]

Originally Posted by jayinhongkong

I remember meeting a gorgeous 19-year-old Chinese girl in GZ who I still e-mail occasionally. She had flawless skin, a beautiful smile and spoke excellent English. Unfortunately, her breath was reminiscent of a Mongkok garbage truck. I guess the whole tongue-cleaning thing hasn't caught on in a big way yet.

I totally agree with you...What's with the breathe and gray teeth? Looks scary.

[Max]

Climber, I think the more appropriate term here would be "unwanted" rather than "untapped"....

[PDLM]

I remember reading, though it might take me a while to find it again, that the "grey teeth" thing is to do with over-use of certain antibiotics (that were common in HK several years ago) in childhood. There are certainly plenty of locals around who don't have them as well.

Edit: found it - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetracycline_antibiotics

Even the mother taking them in pregnancy can cause the problem.