Avoid gold teeth, says Turkmen leader

BBC ^ | 7 April, 2004

[Tailgunner Joe]

The president of Turkmenistan has urged his people to resist the fashion for gold-capped teeth.

Gold-toothed music star Goldie: The wrong role model for Turkmen

The central Asian state's self-proclaimed president-for-life, Saparmurat Niyazov, issued the dental directive at a televised ceremony on Tuesday.

The president told a young woman at the ceremony to have her conspicuous gold teeth replaced with white ones by his health minister, "himself a dentist".

Style tips from the president - who likes to be known as Turkmenbashi or "Father of all Turkmen" - tends to be interpreted as law in Turkmenistan.

Gnawing issue

When he criticised long hair and beards amongst young men in February, they adopted short hairstyles and a clean-shaven appearance overnight.

Last year, he voiced a fondness for traditional braided hair and Turkmen fur hats amongst girls - this was swiftly made a rule for all schoolgirls.

A traditional fondness for gold - coupled with bad standards of dentistry - mean gold teeth are relatively common in Turkmenistan.

According to President Niyazov, however, it is best to stick with one's original teeth.

"I watched young dogs when I was young. They were given bones to gnaw," he told the audience at Tuesday's ceremony.

"Those of you whose teeth have fallen out did not gnaw on bones. This is my advice," he said, according the Interfax news agency.

Gold fingers

Natural-gas rich Turkmenistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been governed by President Niyazov since 1985 when it was still a Soviet Republic.

He has banished all opposition parties and brought all media under his control.

He recently announced plans to have surveillance cameras installed at the major streets and sites of Turkmenistan - a move apparently prompted by a failed coup attempt in 2002.

International human rights groups such as Amnesty have long bewailed Turkmenistan's record for imprisoning dissidents.

President Niyazov, whose white hair appears to have turned black in recent photographs, frequently expresses his distaste for what he describes as the decadence of the nation's youth.

However, his crusade against the use of gold does not appear to extend beyond dentistry.

Turkmenistan is full of gilded statues of its president, who frequently appears sporting jewel-studded gold rings on his fingers.

[Tailgunner Joe]

President Niyazov likes to keep a close eye on his people

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[GiveEmDubya]

The great Turkmenbashi has spoken!

All hail the glorious leader Turkmenbashi!

...

Who is he, again?

[XHogPilot]

Sounds like another Kerry "foreign leader" supporter.

[cyborg]

Tell him don't come over here to America!

http://hiphopdentistry.com/photos.html

[netmilsmom]

Hey! Did you see the eyeball piercing on the other thread??

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1113220/posts

Teeth are better

[Rollee]

Where did you find that fascinating web site? It's as good as awfulplasticsurgery.com, or lastmeals.com! Those gold teeth look very painful.

[Rollee]

http://www.awfulplasticsurgery.com/

That's better.

[Rollee]

Sorry about this. Two beers and look - bud sure didn't make me wiser, ha, ha.

http://deadmaneating.com/

[cyborg]

I saw that dentist on Fabulous Life of Hip Hop Stars on VH1. Sheesh I might as well get gold teeth. I have lots of filling *LOL*

[Rollee]

I have lots of crowns and fillings also but think the gold tooth look is grotesque. Did you check out the plastic surgery link? It's pathetic. Natural people are the most beautiful to me.

[Rollee]

I have lots of crowns and fillings also but think the gold tooth look is grotesque. Did you check out the plastic surgery link? It's pathetic. Natural people are the most beautiful to me.

[Skibane]

This kook was profiled on "60 Minutes" a few months back. He's so whacky that he had a month of the year renamed after him – and another one after his wife!

[cyborg]

Wow *LOL* what a website

[Rollee]

That's pretty sick, isn't it? Somebody posted another thread featuring a wierdo who has himself tatooed like a tiger. I think a link was posted on this thread. That guy is wacked!

[Rollee]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/articles/disorders/gallery/gallery_case2.shtml

That's the link to the tiger tattoo guy. Enjoy!