Photos and showing teeth

[Sarushka]

did they haves thses gaps all their lives or were they filled in?

I highly doubt they were corrected. Turn-of-the century orthodontics were relatively cumbersome and noticeable -- bands of gold or platinum were wrapped entirely around the teeth -- and it seems that orthodontists at the time were more concerned with correcting crowded and/or severely crooked teeth than gaps. If a person's bite or outward facial appearance wasn't affected, then cosmetic dentistry wasn't a high priority.

[amartin71718]

Ther eare a couple of pictures where Alexandra is showing her teeth. You can probably find them in the Can you find the Smiling Alexandra thread.

Here are a few.
http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/dl_crosscollex/romanov/oneITEM.asp?pid=1001290&iid=1001290&srchtype=
Can't see her teeth, but it's a cute picture anyway.
http://www.livadia.org/olishka/images/olgagiggle.jpg

[tom_romanov]

yay! happy Alexandra!

[Romanov_fan]

Also, it took longer to pose for the camera then than today- so it was more uncomfortable to smile ( although this may have lessened by early 20th century, it was very true back in Victorian era), and you had to pose in place for awhile- not as spontenous as today. This partly explains no smiles.

[Holly]

It seems Tatiana and Anastasia had less of a gap than the other children. Maria and Alexei seem to have the largest gaps.
Here are a few more:

[Sarushka]

Also, it took longer to pose for the camera then than today- so it was more uncomfortable to smile ( although this may have lessened by early 20th century, it was very true back in Victorian era), and you had to pose in place for awhile- not as spontenous as today. This partly explains no smiles.

This had changed by NAOTMAA's time. In particular, Kodak's Brownie camera, which debuted in 1900, made snapshot photography commonplace.

[Love4Royalty]

That's good.  Could you imagine what Anastasia would have done with her silly faces?  Either she wouldn't do them or, as the saying goes, her face would get stuck like that!

[clockworkgirl21]

How did they fill teeth back then, exactly. It hurts enough having it done now, I'd hate to think how it was 100 years ago!

[Marie-Catherine]

I personnally they filled it back then. I had a gap when I was young, and my gap disappeared as I grow up. Maybe the girls' gap didn't disappeared, but I don't think they filled it.

[Sarushka]

How did they fill teeth back then, exactly. It hurts enough having it done now, I'd hate to think how it was 100 years ago!

Cavities were probably done the old fashioned way -- a drill and metal fillings. If I recall correctly, the children had silver amalgam fillings and the empress's were platinum. I don't know if/how they managed anesthesia...

[Condecontessa]

I wonder if they used ether or an anesthetic ointment before drilling for an amalgam.

[nena]

Not totally Topic Off, but when mass grave was found in 1991, they discovered(in teeth) some 'metal' teeth, it is believe beloging to Empress.

I found very simpatical their gaps in teeth of IF. 

[tom_romanov]

i think that when Avdonin and Ryabovfound the 3 skulls in 1979. they said that one had gold fillings? we know now that they skulls were of two grand ducheses and Anna Demidova. could the fillings be the GD's or demidova's?

[nena]

Tom, I don't know...
Let's back to topic -- Maria showing teeth  :

[Holly]

i think that when Avdonin and Ryabovfound the 3 skulls in 1979. they said that one had gold fillings? we know now that they skulls were of two grand ducheses and Anna Demidova. could the fillings be the GD's or demidova's?

I'm fairly certain the girls didn't have gold fillings.

Maria looked cute with her gap. She had the largest one. Olga was always complimented on her straight, white teeth.