They believe only wild animals and demons have white teeth, so a special paste is applied in order to avoid being associated with evil. On VOV, a Vietnamese TV show, a 73 years old woman, Ms Tao Thi En, in Lai Chau said:
“I’ve blackened my teeth since the age of 13 and have been keeping this habit ever since then. Everyday after dinner, I dye my teeth for an hour before going to sleep. If I don’t do it for a day, I will feel uncomfortable…”.
Mr Lo Van Ngan, a Lu man, explained “The custom was started a long time ago. Every girl had to dye their teeth. Otherwise, she would be seen as a lazy girl and no man would ever want her to be their girlfriend”.
This dying technique not only has aesthetic meaning, but also functional use. The black paste applied on their teeth works as a sealant which cover the teeth’s surface and prevents decaying teeth. It is made by mixing black-honey shrub with gum benzoin siam for 1-2 hours. After that, the mixture is heated until melted. Despite its traditional purposes, the custom has gradually faded amongst younger generations. We now only see Lu women above 30 years old with black teeth.