Less than 5 percent of the world’s population has a gap between their two front teeth. Lots of people who have diastema correct it with braces. But, in the past decade or so, the media had dubbed a gap-toothed smile (on Nate, top, and my dad, bottom) the “perfect imperfection” because it adds character and charm to a face. The gap-tooth smile has become “a sign of luck” in some cultures. Madonna. David Letterman. Lauren Hutton. The guy for Mad Magazine. My dad.

And it looks like Nate might join the gap-toothed elite.

My dad recently sent some pictures of his childhood. I’ve looked at them hundreds of times, as I’m just amazed at the family similarities–particularly between him and Nate. It’s been fun to pick out which part of their smile is so eerily similar.
Their face shape?
Their ears?
Their blonde hair?
Their foreheads?
But then I saw it. Their smiles are the same–especially their top front teeth.
Thanks for the pictures, Dad.
Here’s hoping Nate shuns braces and keeps the gap.
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