The value of good teeth

As a kid, Ryanne Jones' friend accidentally hit her in the mouth with a hammer, knocking out her two front teeth. Her parents never had enough money for the dental care needed to fix them, so Ryanne lived much of her adult life with a chipped and crooked smile. <br/><br/>Ryanne spent a while as a single mom working low-wage jobs, but she had higher aspirations: she interviewed dozens of times a year for higher-paying roles that she was more than qualified for. But she never landed any of them. And to her, it really seemed like the only thing standing between her and a better job was her rotting, brown front teeth. <br/><br/>Our physical appearances can communicate a lot about our financial status. There are some things, such as clothing, that we have more control over. But there are other things that we don't — and they can have serious long-term economic consequences.<br/><br/>This episode was originally run as part of Marketplace's <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/shows/this-is-uncomfortable-reema-khrais/why-dont-you-fix-your-teeth/"><em>This is Uncomfortable</em></a><em> </em>podcast.<br/><br/><em>Reported by: Reema Khrais<br/><br/>Edited by: Micaela Blei. <br/><br/>Produced by: Zoë Saunders, Peter Balonon-Rosen, Megan Detrie, Hayley Hershman and Daniel Martinez. The Planet Money version was produced by Alyssa Jeong Perry.<br/><br/>Mastered by: Charlton Thorp<br/><br/>Music: Wonderly<br/><br/>Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in </em><a href="http://n.pr/PM-digital"><em>Apple Podcasts</em></a><em> or at </em><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz">plus.npr.org/planetmoney</a><em>.</em>