Celebrities are starting to have eerily similar smiles — flawlessly straight and pearly white teeth. But what’s the cost behind those perfect smiles? We’ll talk about yet another unrealistic beauty standard and the rise of the cosmetic dentistry industry. And the Roman Empire might be a thing of the past, but it seems that many men are still fascinated by it. We’ll get into some reasons why the ancient world power is engrained in our minds. Then, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty to settle some fashion debates.

Here’s everything we talked about:

- Watch: Marketplace’s video series “Burning Questions” from “How We Survive”

- Listen: Marketplace’s new series “Burning Questions” from “How We Survive”

- “Celebrity teeth look the same thanks to veneers, and TikTok has thoughts” from The Washington Post

- “Why don’t you fix your teeth?” from Marketplace

- “Many men think about Roman Empire frequently, TikTok trend shows. Why?” The Washington Post

- “Where did all the G-rated blockbusters go?” from Marketplace

- “Why Birkenstock’s IPO filing is encouraging for investors” from Marketplace

- “Coke’s latest mystery flavor is AI-generated” from CNN

- “This common decongestant ingredient is no better than a placebo” from Marketplace

- “Why did the Instant Pot go out of style?” from Marketplace

If you’re a fan of our livestreams, we think you’ll enjoy Marketplace’s new video series, “Burning Questions,” from the team behind “How We Survive.” If you’ve been curious about solutions to the climate crisis, give it a watch!

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The quest for a perfect smile