Dishy Rishi’s pearly white teeth are a sign of the times

As his daughter gets a brace, Will Gore wonders whether he’s missed his chance of a perfect smile

Level pegging with perfect gnashers: Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden in the White House this week (Reuters)

The so-called “special relationship” between the UK and the United States is a product of our shared language, cultural ties and the bonds of history. It sure as hell ain’t about teeth. Where American mouths are full of pearly whites, the perception of us Brits is that our teeth are barely serviceable for eating, let alone flashing the kind of debonair smile that is de rigueur in New York or LA.

However, when Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden met this week at the White House, there was nothing to choose between their perfect gnashers. Sure, Biden’s may not be entirely his own, but it was still a lesson in what the special relationship can do: for us, a 1990s diet of perfect US teeth on TV dramas and sitcoms inspired us to sort out our mouths; for America, there is no longer the horror of hosting a PM who looks like they’ve either been chugging full-fat Coca-Cola for 30 years or been punched in the gob.

In other circumstances, I might not have given any thought to the teeth of global leaders, but this week my daughter had a brace fitted and so orthodontics has been a dominant theme in our house over recent days. It had been a few months in the offing, and – as former brace-wearers ourselves – my wife and I had been surprised at how sanguine our daughter seemed to be about the prospect. When the appointed hour arrived, however, her experience was more or less as unpleasant as we’d expected. A few days in, to what is likely to be a two-year reality, our daughter has eaten many super-soft scotch pancakes, and cried a few tears, but is holding up pretty well.