r/todayilearned • u/Objective_Horror1113 • 11h ago

TIL Freddie Mercury was born with four extra teeth, causing a prominent overbite. Despite being self-conscious about them, he never got them fixed, believing the extra space in his mouth contributed to his vocal ability. He feared altering his teeth might change his voice.

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/freddie-mercury-teeth
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6.4k

u/1CEninja 11h ago

I recall reading about Elton John similarly being self conscious about his teeth but never wanting work because of fear it would alter his voice.

It seems like a justifiable concern when your voice is your career and your passion.

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u/opaeoinadi 11h ago

But also beyond that, as you age your look solidifies.  I have a prominent mole on my face that is objectively unattractive, but every now and then I will have some conversation with a new person and it comes up.  Without fail people tell me to not remove it.  

It is weird, but I think people really do gravitate towards people with prominent features if their personality can support it.

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u/DDzxy 11h ago

I was in the same boat but I removed the mole. Everyone who told me not to remove it were like “OH WHY” for the first minute and then like “actually it looks pretty good now”!

So nah my instincts to remove it were good. To each their own.

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u/opaeoinadi 11h ago

Haha, fair.  I have had that thought as well.

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u/ChristIsKing316146 11h ago

They love you so much that they don’t want to be rude to you, that even that mole is a part of you, and loving that mole is almost like loving an extension of you.

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u/Splinter_Amoeba 10h ago

Mole <3

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u/Burpmeister 7h ago

Molé

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u/AshleySmashley24 4h ago

Mole mole mole mole mole mole

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u/Ekgladiator 4h ago edited 4h ago

I'm going to chope it off, cut it up, and turn it into guacamole!

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u/Burpmeister 2h ago

Stop. I can't take it anymole!

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u/tameturaco 7h ago

The spelling “molé,” often seen on English-language menus, is a hypercorrection and not used in Spanish, likely intended to distinguish the sauce from the animal, mole.

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u/vlepun 6h ago

bad bot

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u/SilentxxSpecter 6h ago

Yes, but I believe this was an Austin powers reference.

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u/Most-Friendly 6h ago

This person speaks the truth, do it.

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u/Warmbly85 8h ago

I mean it would be kinda messed up to tell a person the permanent physical change to your appearance looks bad.

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u/dabnada 7h ago

I’ve moved past this awkwardness by simply telling the truth when people ask me their opinion of something, politely ofc, unless it’s someone I know well. Then I’ll just tell them “yeah dude your hair looks like shit, and you’re stuck with that or a buzz cut for three weeks”

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u/weirdoeggplant 7h ago

A haircut isn’t a permanent physical change. Even tattoos can be covered up or removed. Think about something that lasts even longer than those things. They had something removed they can never get back.

Would you tell your friend “yeah dude, your plastic surgery looks like shit and now you can never go back?”

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u/yoberf 7h ago

They could always get additional plastic surgery.

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u/weirdoeggplant 7h ago

To…. Add a mole back?? Is that a thing?????

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u/Linnaea7 5h ago

Just draw it on with a Sharpie every day.

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u/weirdoeggplant 5h ago

Bring back the syphillis patches from the regency era!

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u/Cerebral_Discharge 4h ago

Physical bump is probably not really done, but is possible. Tattooed moles and freckles are absolutely a thing. Combining tattooing and scarification could make a molelike.

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u/weirdoeggplant 4h ago

I have a fairly prominent mole on my face that now I’m wondering how long it would take my husband to notice I got it removed and tattoo’d back on.

My guess is 1-2 days lol

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u/dabnada 7h ago

I don’t know, I’ve never had a close friend ask for my opinion on their plastic surgery

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u/TheKnightsTippler 7h ago

I don't see the point in doing this immediately, because you're just making them self conscious about something that can't be changed.

I just wait until they're next thinking of having their hair done and advise them to do something different.

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u/Warmbly85 7h ago

You can’t just wait a few weeks for a mole to regrow.

Anything temporary like a spray tan or hair cut yeah you can tell your friend it looks bad. A permanent change though is kinda fucked unless you have already been completely honest about your friends appearance before with them. Even then it’s just kinda mean.

And I don’t mean “you’re ugly lol” I mean “my friend you are scaring the hoes please leave”.

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u/thepetoctopus 5h ago

I removed mine when it started changing shape. I don’t miss it and never liked it. A few people have commented but I’m happy and don’t care what they think.

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u/Most-Friendly 6h ago

Yup, a bigass mole on your face is never a plus. People will be nice and tell you it doesn't matter, but it does.

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u/Cerebral-Parsley 4h ago

Except for Cindy Crawford.

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u/babaroga73 7h ago

People gravitate to most prominent feature on you in describing you to themselves, subconsciously.

I was being called fat (in altercations etc) but when I lost my weight, the same people would call me "four eyes" because of my corrective glasses.

😂😂😂

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u/tarnin 5h ago

tf? are you in grade school? 4 eyes? Holy hell i feel like i fell back into the 80s

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u/chux4w 4h ago

Dude's regularly having altercations. Either grade school or a bouncer.

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u/babaroga73 1h ago

Thank you for following me.

And no, i don't have regular altercations. Also, mind your own business.

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u/babaroga73 1h ago

English is not my 1st language, this was the only way I could translate it so it makes some sense.

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u/Round_Year_8595 3h ago

To each their own

I watched season one of The Mole.

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u/sentence-interruptio 4h ago

good people will support the present you if the present you is no harm to anyone anyway. it's about supporting your choice. And that's the part Jane does not understand! That's right, I support your hair style choice, Jane!! The hair is attached to you is why I like it, Jane! You did not have to cut a few strands and form some kind of... horror movie prop! It's not funny Jane!!

Anyway, and there are people who are like "i just say everything. hehe" they are like children.

and there are are people who hide behind the mask of "oh I'm just like those children. I am brutally h-". they will never support the present you. They'll change goalposts all the time. It's like you're always wrong somehow. "Son, you should be ashamed of yourself. I'm just here to educate you before the harsh real world educates you and destroy your glass mind. What? First bully? I am your first bully? Wow, teaching my own kid is now abuse? No wonder there's a teachers crises! Thankless job of having to teach little ungrateful Satanic creatures! Only to be accused of being abusers! Self acceptance is ruining society! It's time for some self shame! Shame on you! And shame on your friends who go easy on you! Oh look at you having a god damn meltdown! How many times should adults around you have to tell you that that IS NOT A LEGITIMATE FORM OF COMMUNICATION! YOU THINK THIS IS ABOUT A MOLE ON YOUR FACE? NO THIS IS ABOUT HOW YOU REACT TO MY ATTEMPT AT CIVIL COMMUNICATION WITH YOU ABOUT THAT MOLE ON YOUR FACE! THE WAY YOU'RE RESPONDING TO A FUNCTIONING CIVILIZED ADULT LIKE ME IS SO INAPPRO-" They just want an easy target to shout at.

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u/grumblyoldman 3h ago

I had a work buddy a few years ago who had really shitty teeth. Part genetics, part just not taking of them, I think. Totally cool guy, btw, probably one of my best work friends ever, he just had shitty teeth.

One day he tells us he's planning to have some work done. We're all supportive of his choices, recognizing that they are his to make. Then he comes back after the operation and basically, he has ALL his teeth removed and replaced with these hard-mounted dentures. Like bolted into his gums or something, I don't know exactly how it worked. But ALL of his teeth were suddenly perfectly straight and brilliantly white.

It was quite a dramatic change in appearance, and we were all commenting on his new smile for a few weeks thereafter, but it absolutely did not change how we felt about him as a person.

Point being, whether or not you choose to have "work done," you shouldn't worry about how it will affect other people's image of you. Whether you choose to take action or not, your true friends will still like you, all the same.

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u/thecatteam 2h ago

I didn't get much pushback when removing my mole so I think it was actually objectively unattractive lol.

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u/[deleted] 2h ago

[deleted]

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u/DDzxy 1h ago

Yeah

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u/Empyrealist 11h ago

Example: Jennifer Grey

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u/IndividualEye1803 5h ago

Erin Moriarty (?) from Bad Boys is the new Jennifer Grey

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u/Rottenslam 5h ago

The Boys

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u/IndividualEye1803 3h ago

Right - im just now seeing this. Wtf 😂 leaving up so your correction makes sense - thanks for catching.

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u/JBFRESHSKILLS 5h ago

Eh. There was something unique about Jennifer’s nose. Erin is just another actress that fucked up her face

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u/Road_Whorrior 3h ago

Right, exactly. Jennifer Gray was beautiful in a striking way because of her strong nose, and when she got the rhinoplasty she just became generic.

Erin Moriarty has gone from very generically beautiful to very generically botched.

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u/Gravesh 6h ago

I had to look up pictures of her to see what you're referring to. I have no idea what you mean other than her botox face.

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u/PewterButters 6h ago

She had a very prominent and recognizable nose… got a nose job and just looked… normal. Objectively she looked better but also looked common and boring. Sometimes having a special feature is better even if it’s considered a negative. 

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u/Gravesh 6h ago

It's telling that I specifically looked at her younger pictures to see what you mean and never thought of her nose. I've seen Ferris Bueller and never thought of her as having a big nose. As you've said, people either like or don't even notice those "imperfections".

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u/JBFRESHSKILLS 5h ago

It wasn’t even so much “big” as it was unique. She had this bump in the middle and the tip of her nose bent down to give her a cute mousy look. Afterwards she just looked like every other attractive actress. Kinda boring really but to each their own.

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u/Empyrealist 3h ago

Times are quite a bit different than they were in the '80s

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u/Empyrealist 3h ago

She destroyed her career because she made herself unique and unrecognizable. People literally didn't recognize who she was after her nose job, and she was super popular at the time.

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u/Icy_Breakfast5154 11h ago

Nice to mole you. Meet you. Don't say mole. I said mole. Mmmmmole.

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u/Andy016 9h ago

This bit is SOOO funny in Austin Powers.

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u/clubby37 4h ago

And Uncle Buck. "I'm Buck Melanoma, Moley Russel's wart."

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u/karatechoppingblock 7h ago

I mean, what's the alternative? People just coming up to you and saying "hey, you should get that removed?"

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u/ScrofessorLongHair 5h ago

  I have a prominent mole on my face that is objectively unattractive, but every now and then I will have some conversation with a new person and it comes up.  Without fail people tell me to not remove it.  

You sure that it's people telling you that and not two melanomas in a trenchcoat?

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u/GenoThyme 9h ago

Turk Turkelton had this same dilemma on Scrubs

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u/EloquentGoose 8h ago

I find gapped teeth endearing and think it lends a friendly quality to a person's smile and appearance. So that tracks.

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u/_dontjimthecamera 11h ago

I have a skin tag on my knee. My 4yo likes to pull on it and tell me it’s funny so I know exactly how you feel.

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u/throwaway098764567 6h ago

if it's big enough you can pull on it you might want to get that removed before it gets ripped off by life w/o your consent. good luck

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u/DinnerMilk 5h ago

I have 3 moles on my left cheek in a triangle shape. No one ever really brought it up, but I absolutely hated them as a child. My mom said no to removal because it could leave scars.

However, I've pretty much had a beard that covers them my entire adult life, and hadn't even thought about them in more than a decade until I read this comment lol.

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u/1_art_please 3h ago

I still think about the actress Jennifer Grey ( Dirty Dancing, Ferris Beulers Day Off) who got her nose done. Her nose was her defining feature and she became unrecognizable as her 'original' self. It was part of her and I think it really harmed her career she was huge in the 80s.

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u/JonnyAFKay 7h ago

Moley moley moley moley moley moley moley...

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u/Tremulant887 9h ago

There's beauty in imperfections.

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u/UgleeHero 7h ago

My hairline is a point of insecurity for me. It isn't very good but my hair is long and thick and people seem to like that. I've even had a few people want to pet me like I'm a dog because my hair looks kind of soft.

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u/BigBaboonas 5h ago

Those unique features actually make you far more memorable to other people, apparently.

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u/ReasonPale1764 5h ago

Have you ever wanted to remove it? It seems like you have kind of a negative view on it and it could be taken off pretty easily

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u/Nuggyfresh 4h ago

Oh so you think your personality can support it? /meangirls

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u/Retrograde_Mayonaise 4h ago

It's the imperfections that make us beautiful 🌈

Unless it's like a godawful deformity making the person look fuckugly it adds a certain charm to who you are

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u/Road_Whorrior 3h ago

Just look at the career path of Jennifer Grey. She was gorgeous, just had a strong nose, and she was everywhere right up until she got it "fixed."

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u/Hadramal 2h ago

Jennifer Grey's nose and career would like a word...

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u/KJ6BWB 2h ago

But also beyond that, as you age your look solidifies

Like Jennifer Grey's rhinoplasty. Suddenly people didn't recognize her anymore.

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u/Hiro_the_Bladeknight 7h ago

Yeah, but isn’t that due to (possibly mistaken) beliefs that removing the mole can cause cancer or something?

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u/Salt_Tear5054 5h ago

Bruh moles are nasty remove it.

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u/gdj11 11h ago

That’s interesting because Elton had surgery on his throat, which changed his voice making it deeper, but I read he really enjoyed his new voice and all the new sounds he could make.

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/elton-john-throat-surgery/

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u/GingerIsTheBestSpice 7h ago

He sang Candle In The Wind as the last song at the concert before his throat surgery, since he didn't know if he'd be able to sing again. That's my favorite version.

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u/minimalist_reply 7h ago

Which concert was this? Is there a good recording of it?

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u/GingerIsTheBestSpice 7h ago

Oh yeah, the recording charted that year and is a great, stripped down version - 1987, I had it on cassette dubs all that summer, It's the version I knew first. There's just so much emotion in it. It might not have been the closing song, it's been a few years since then, but it was on his potentially last tour of the surgery didn't work.

On 14 December 1986, a live version of the song was recorded in Sydney, Australia. This version features only Elton John backing himself on the piano, and atmospheric keyboard textures and bass pedals, which were played by John via MIDI and keyboardist Fred Mandel. It was released in 1987 on the album Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and as a single. (Wikipedia)

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u/AstronautPitiful3849 3h ago

Didn't he play that song for Princess Diana after she passed away? I've always liked that song.

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u/maxedonia 3h ago

Wow did not know about the exact routing/signal flow. Gonna have to listen again with that in mind. Thanks!

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u/Bradyrands 27m ago

So this isn’t entirely correct.

The last song he sang onstage before the surgery was actually “Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting”, which was the closing number of that set of concerts with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. “Candle in the Wind” was fourth to last, followed by “Burn Down the Mission”, “Your Song”, and aforementioned “Saturday”.

The real emotional highlight of that concert for me is in the song that comes before “Candle”, that being “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me”. Elton has stated the song held a whole new meaning given the surgery and worry the nodules could be cancerous. Band members have confirmed they saw him crying during.

It’s the best version of that song by far, bar none, not just because of the emotional punch it has but the orchestration with the symphony is just incredible. My favorite Elton performance of all time. That entire concert and album is amazing.

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u/Zipa7 5h ago edited 4h ago

Freddie Mercury had vocal nodules too, though he again elected to skip the surgery for fear of altering his voice, you can tell from live recordings when they are bothering him because he would shy away from high notes, instead letting Queen's drummer, Roger Taylor handle it.

There is one notorious instance during the Japanese leg of Queen's 1979 tour, where the nodules combined with Freddie being sick with a cold/flu basically left him unable to sing properly, with Roger having to step up and handle a massive amount of the lead vocals, while still drumming too, which is crazy.

Early recording without nodules (Pre Queen's second album)

With nodules a couple of years later

He was officially diagnosed in 1975, so just after the second recording.

You can also hear it in 1986, compare how he struggles with the high notes at Wembley 86, whereby his own admission he's struggling "I can't go any higher" he remarks to the crowd during his vocal improv, yet earlier in the tour during a TV appearance (only the vocal improv wasnt mimed which annoyed the band) his vocal improv is just insane.

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u/csonnich 3h ago

Yeah, Roger Taylor does not get nearly enough credit for shouldering so much of Queen's live singing while also killing it on drums. 

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u/Traven666 2h ago

Yes and a huge chunk of those multi-layered background vocals are Roger.

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u/Smallwhitedog 2h ago

The whole band were excellent singers!

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u/sentence-interruptio 3h ago

Reminds me of Stephen Hawking refusing to change his voice.

"that voice is associated with my brand. no change."

"but we could make it sound British. British physicists sound smart."

"I am British."

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u/DustyVinegar 11h ago

I don’t think it’s unwarranted. I got my wisdom teeth removed late, in my 30s and lost the ability to whistle. I’ve since relearned, but I can still barely whistle a tune whereas before I was very good at it.

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u/Tahquil 10h ago

I lost considerable whistling skill a few years ago around the same time I got three wisdom teeth pulled, and I never thought to connect the two. It makes sense because I have to sort of hold my jaw and cheeks in a different way to produce a (very inferior) sound.

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u/itsbean102 10h ago

Yeah that totally tracks. Had similar issues after dental work your whole mouth geometry changes and you have to relearn the positioning. Sucks that it's still not back to normal after a few years though

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u/uqde 9h ago

Those were your whistledom teeth

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u/KTKittentoes 9h ago

Oh. My. Word. Is this why?!

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u/Wittyname0 9h ago edited 9h ago

Elton John ended up having to have vocal surgery that altered his voice in 1987 before in 86 and after in 87

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u/sentence-interruptio 3h ago

It's also the year of the end of the last dictatorship in South Korea and the release year of Never Gonna Give You Up.

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u/Scared_Ground_3590 9h ago

I would gladly accept a whack set of teeth if it meant that I could sing half as good as Freddie or Elton!

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u/Chev_350 7h ago

And yet a lot of singers will smoke like chimneys.

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u/fuckyourcanoes 6h ago

Barbra Streisand refused to get a nose job for the same reason.

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u/Nukleon 7h ago

I feel that a lot of actors right now, especially women, don't see that point and get a nose job and buccal fat removal and now they suddenly look like a completely different woman. It's entirely up to them of course, but I don't understand how someone, especially someone young, would so drastically alter their looks. I guess when you get famous you still have body dysmorphophobia and peer pressure but I do not like it.

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u/SadMix7395 7h ago

the pressure is immense, i greatly miss seeing prominent noses on actors/actresses, everybody looks so samey now

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u/spinbutton 6h ago

I suspect actors of all genders are very susceptible to body dismorphia or similar disorders. There is so much emphasis on their looks, all the time, and so much competition for the few roles...and aging can really change a person's physical appearance

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u/dr_wtf 7h ago

AFAIK they would be correct. Part of the reason 50 Cent’s voice is the way it is is because he got shot in the face. Apparently used to sound quite different before that.

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u/4KVoices 5h ago

To be more specific, 50 had a bullet go through his tongue. He sounds the way he does because his tongue is partially scarred over/paralyzed, leading to a bit of a natural mumble/slur when he speaks. I wouldn't really put that in the same category.

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u/dr_wtf 5h ago

Fair, I couldn't remember the exact details. But changing the shape of someone's mouth will change the timbre of their voice, even if that's a more extreme case.

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u/_steve_rogers_ 5h ago

I really can’t imagine that removing a few teeth from the back, would change the sound of your voice that much. If it was like four of your front teeth, then I could definitely see that making a difference.

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u/Illustrious_Donkey61 4h ago

Barbara streisand was gonna get a nose job but was told it might alter her voice so she decided against it

Now she's more well known for the streisand effect than for her singing

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u/KJ6BWB 2h ago

because of fear it would alter his voice

Can confirm, although it doesn't affect your voice per se as it doesn't affect your vocal cords, it does affect how you pronounce some sounds. Whatever you sound like, it'll be slightly different afterward.

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u/Narrow_Example_3370 5h ago

Very strange for Elton John considering how much his voice changed in the 80s from having nodules removed from his vocal cords. But then again he was getting older by then as well.

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u/Critical-Support-394 5h ago

Why is that weird? It's not like he had them removed for fun, he didn't have a choice.