Unlike Americans, the British are not known for the straightness, whiteness, and brightness of their teeth. Until I went to England, though, I never really put much stock in the stereotype. Sure, I laughed when Mike Myers lampooned British teeth in Austin Powers, but otherwise I always assumed it was just a bit of ribbing, a way for Americans to make fun of our cousins across the Pond.

I traveled to England with my family to hike the Cotswold Way, one of the country’s many Rites of Way, public paths that have been used for centuries. The Cotswold way winds through the English country side, through fields filled with sheep, stands of trees, and small towns. One morning, upon entering a particularly quaint and lovely little town, we stopped and sat down on a retaining wall by the side the main road. A man, previously unnoticed, came from the backside of one of the houses and walked towards us. He was wearing a uniform and seemed to be doing some sort of routine work – checking meters or something of that nature.

He seemed very excited to see us and he called out as he came over to greet us, “Hello! And what do we have here?” My father proceeded to introduce us as Americans taking a walking trip on the Cotswold Way. “I thought you might be Americans,” the man said, nodding his head, clearly pleased at his own powers of observation. “So what is it you do back in Americur?”

“I’m an orthodontist,” my father replied.

“And what’s that?” the man inquired. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a thing.”

“Well, it’s kind of like a dentist,” my father explained, a bit taken aback.

“Oh, a dentist, now that I have heard of.” At this point he grinned widely, revealing a mouthful of teeth that obviously had never met an orthodontist, and very likely had only been in the company of a dentist on a few special occasions. “Well, nice to meet you, Mr. Ortho-dentist. Have a nice walk.” And with that he went back to checking the houses along the road.