White Teeth As a Tradable Good

-What Tooth Whitening Means in a Consumer Society-

Abstract

In this paper, it will be argued that white teeth and the process of tooth whitening are economically tradable goods, in the sense that they are objects of economic transactions. This situation derives from the fact that dentistry is becoming ‘consumerized’ and that white teeth are assigned certain cultural values, represent something to be identified, and thus become what consumers are willing to pay for. It will be shown that white teeth are a ‘sign’ in a semiological sense and thus the providers of whitening emphasizes cultural images of white teeth, such as purity, health, beauty, and youth, in advertisements of whitening. Hence, whitening can be viewed as the practice of creating meaning by using signs.