Straightened teeth a reason to smile

Your Jan. 29 article on braces [“Crooked Teeth, but Still Happy”], reminded me of my first trip to Vienna with my Austrian-born bride, to meet my new in-laws. After a few days in that beautiful city, I remarked to my wife how many people had crooked teeth. She explained, “You must understand my people’s attitude -- they say that if God wanted them to have straight teeth, he would have given them straight teeth.” I was forever grateful that she had become sufficiently Americanized to see an orthodontist early in her life.

GORDON FROEDE

Cheviot Hills