I Hope I Get Movie-star Teeth

Doing the Exceptional Normal in Orthodontic Practice for Young People

Bibliographic Data

ID2288659
AuthorsAnette Wickström (0000-0003-0587-3399, Department of Thematic Studies/Child Studies Linköping University Linköping Sweden, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume30
Issue3
Pages285-302
Publication date2016-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedical Anthropology Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0745-5194 • E-ISSN: 1548-1387
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/maq.12247
PMID26841360
OpenAlexW1488674070
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited19

Orthodontics offer young people the chance to improve their bite and adjust their appearances. The most common reasons for orthodontic treatment concern general dentists', parents' or children's dissatisfaction with the esthetics of the bite. My aim is to analyze how esthetic norms are used during three activities preceding possible treatment with fixed appliances. The evaluation indexes signal definitiveness and are the essential grounds for decision-making. In parallel, practitioners and patients refer to self-perceived satisfaction with appearances. Visualizations of divergences and the improved future bite become part of an interactive process that upholds what I conceptualize as "the exceptional normal." Insights into this process contribute to a better understanding of how medical practices intended to measure and safeguard children's and young people's health at the same time mobilize patients to look and feel better. The article is based on an ethnographic study at two orthodontic clinics

Ethnography · Process (computing · Sociology · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies · Computer Science · Dentistry · Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods · Medicine · Psychology