Are you looking for a way to turn your stained, cracked, chipped, or misaligned smile into one of your greatest assets? With porcelain veneers, you can.
Porcelain veneers are handcrafted from durable dental porcelain and placed on the front of your teeth by Dr. Heap. The whole process takes only two visits and the finished results look completely natural, meaning that you can finally have the dazzling smile you’ve been dreaming of.
I was watching a movie this weekend and I couldn’t get over how bad most of the main actors’ and actresses’ teeth were. Maybe my curse in life now is that I can’t help but to look at everyone’s smile in a critical manner. I don’t mean to do it but I can’t help it. But I thought it would be fun to put together some of the “Worst Celebrity Smiles.” So here it goes…
Tom Cruise
He is an interesting case because you don’t notice that his teeth are bad until you know what you are looking for. His teeth are all straight but his entire upper jaw is shifted to the left…a lot. Instead of his middle teeth being lined up with the middle of his nose, they are lined up an entire tooth to the left. Unfortunately for Tom, the only way to really fix this would involve breaking his upper jaw away from his skull and repositioning it to the right. It feels as good as it sounds so I think he’ll keep it as is.
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten’s teeth have always bothered me. Mostly because they could be fixed so easily. You can see how her middle teeth are slanted backward and her little teeth right next to them are flaring out slightly. Plus, she has very short teeth. Her gums cover so much of her teeth that they almost look like baby teeth.
Treatment recommendation: Invisalign clear braces followed by teeth lengthening.
Treatment time: Probably 4-5 months total including the Invisalign braces.
Steve Buscemi
Poor Steve is a mess. I guess it is a good thing he is mostly only a supporting actor in comedic roles. I don’t know how you ever audition for a movie with a smile like this but it works for him. Just watch some of his movies (Armageddon, Desperado, every Adam Sandler movie). His teeth look a little advanced for just veneers. Probably porcelain crowns would be needed to give him a good shape, color, etc,
Recommended Treatment: Teeth whitening, Porcelain Crowns
Treatment Time: Less than a month
Amy Winehouse
Multiple Grammy winner Amy Winehouse is a good example of what drugs, alcohol, and neglect can do to your teeth. One is obviously missing and by the looks of the picture, the decayed tooth root is still in there. Farther back she has the same thing happening to another tooth. She looks bad but wouldn’t be too incredibly difficult to get fixed up.
Treatment Recommendation: Dental implants to replace missing teeth, porcelain crowns and veneers to fix broken teeth, and…lots of counseling.
Mike Tyson
I had to put this one in here because it makes me laugh. Iron Mike Tyson was the baddest guy around when I was a kid. He knocked out everyone (except for me on the Nintendo game!) Now he is just like a circus show. Anyway, not that you would want to change anything with this smile…but if you did,crowns and veneers would be great to replace those gold crowns and also to close that huge gap between his front teeth
Treatment Recommendation: Porcelain crowns and veneers
Treatment Length: As little as 2 weeks but I’m thinking he would be one of those problem patients…in fact I don’t think we’d even treat him.
So there it is. Some bad smiles and possible ways to fix them. For some others, see: Madonna, Hillary Duff (she got veneers but they look so fake), John Heder, Jewel, and many more. I always wonder if they know they have bad teeth but since they are already famous they don’t think they need to change anything. I probably would have been a celebrity too if my parents hadn’t made me get braces and good dental care when I was little.
With the recent popularity of television shows such as “Extreme Makeover” and “The Swan” there is a heightened awareness in cosmetic dentistry and how it can change a person’s life. Coincidentally, there has also been a skyrocket in the number of “cosmetic dentists”. In fact, from what I have seen, most dentists will claim to be a cosmetic dentist.
But what does that mean?
Typically those that name themselves cosmetic dentists are basically general dentists doing cosmetic procedures. And whether they have done one cosmetic case or one hundred, they will accept the title of “cosmetic dentist” or even “cosmetic specialist.”
But here’s the scoop…
Everyone that graduates from dental school is a general dentist, and a majority of them also claim to be cosmetic dentists. But there is a big difference, which we will explain here.
The problem: Cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty. This means there is no restriction on a dentist saying they are a cosmetic dentist. So, many dentists claim to be cosmetic dentists. Are they lying? I don’t think so. They feel that because they know how to do tooth-colored fillings and white crowns they are capable of addressing the cosmetic concerns of most patients.
However, doing cosmetic dentistry properly requires extra training and a heavy commitment of time, money, and energy for the dentist. And, if dentists can announce themselves as cosmetic dentists without this training, why should they go through all of that expense, travel, and time away from the office?
So What’s the Big Difference?
Honestly, there is a very different approach to dentistry by a true cosmetic dentist. Here are some of the differences:
A cosmetic dentist is passionate about the appearance of the work and getting it to look as beautiful as possible. Many general dentists have a much lower expectation of “beauty” in dental work. Have you ever seen someone who had veneers and it was very obvious? They look like square chiclets gum instead of teeth. This is a result of a dentist who is dabbling in cosmetic dentistry without the extra training, or who hasn’t taken the time to customize the veneers to that patient’s face and smile.
Have you ever been to a dentist that had the attitude that they know what is best for you? Cosmetic dentistry is the art of addressing the self-perception of the patient. A cosmetic dentist knows that if the patient is not pleased with the appearance of the work, the case is a failure. It is not uncommon, when a patient addresses cosmetic concerns with a general dentist, that the dentist will say that there is nothing wrong with the patient’s teeth. This is because they really do not understand the depth of the patient’s concerns.
Someone once said, “General dentists are trained to fix things. Cosmetic dentists are trained to create things.” I have found this to be extremely true. In general dentistry we learn to become experts at form and function of the teeth. But through cosmetic training, a dentist must develop that added spark of creativity and attention to beauty. It’s like the difference between a building contractor and an architect—it takes a completely different personality type to succeed with each dimension.
Cosmetic dentists must dedicate themselves to extensive hours of education after dental school, knowing that it isn’t required, but simply for the passion of being able to create smiles of beauty. Is there any special degree or accolade that comes with all of the extra cosmetic training? Nope. It is just an inherent desire to become better at improving people’s lives.
“Less than 3% Should Probably Call Themselves Cosmetic Dentists!”
How many of the dentists who claim to be cosmetic dentists actually are? It’s tough to say because it is a subbjective observation. But if I had to guess from what I have seen, I would say that less than 3% have the experience, training, and passion to be in that category. I attend a lot of cosmetic lectures, training and study clubs and I always see the exact same dentists every time. They are those few who have dedicated themselves to the art of cosmetic dentistry and improving their technique. Out of the hundreds of dentists in the Valley, the same few are always there.
So, in conclusion to this very long post, just remember that every dentist will tell you he is a “cosmetic dentist”. I’m pretty sure that I called myself a cosmetic dentist the day I left dental school. Because I didn’t know that there was a whole other level of cosmetic training out there that I would need to seek out before I could feel good about advertising myself as such. I knew that I loved creating beautiful smiles and I’ve been fortunate to study with some of the great cosmetic dentists in the country so I could develop the skills to provide my patients with the smile they’ve always dreamed of.
Please visit our home page www.LakesideSmiles.com to see some of our favorite cosmetic cases
Kris Heap DDS
Dr. Heap is a true cosmetic dentist in Gilbert and Mesa, Arizona. He and his team pride themselves on helping people to have a beautiful and healthy smile by utilizing the latest advances in technology while maintaining a relaxed and friendly environment.