Dental Dilemma Decoded: Can You Be an Actor With Bad Teeth?

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Photo Source: “Fargo” Courtesy Gramercy Pictures

Whether it’s Margot Robbie’s bright beam in “Barbie” or Mia Goth’s preternaturally pearly whites in “Pearl,” many famous actors are known for their charming chompers and glamorous grins. It might seem that a flawless Hollywood smile is needed to make it in the industry, but many actors have defied the demand for dental perfection and still achieved great success.

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The Hollywood smile: an oral history

The concept of “good teeth,” writes Brennan Kilbane in Allure’s “Show Your Teeth,” was invented around the time of WWII, when dentist Charles Pincus created temporary cosmetic caps for movie stars like Judy Garland, James Dean, and Joan Crawford. 

In the 1980s, cosmetic dentist John Calamia figured out a way to fit veneers that would last for years or even for life. Although teeth straightening and whitening had been around for centuries, bleaching and braces became more popular around this time as well. 

“Dentists would learn from Hollywood. … They would shape the American smile,” explains Mary Otto in “Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America.” An even white smile has become a status symbol indicating health, wealth, and the uncanny ability to actually keep wearing one’s retainer for longer than a week. Today, A-listers are nearly synonymous with amazing smiles—but that doesn’t mean that broken incisors will prevent you from breaking into the industry.

How might having bad teeth affect the ability to land roles?

Stranger Things

“Stranger Things” Courtesy Netflix

It might make casting directors pass you by. The American aesthetic of idealized beauty often places importance on dental perfection, particularly for those whose eye teeth are in the public eye. Some casting directors believe that audiences only want to watch actors who match rigorous physical standards, including perfectly aligned teeth. For example, “Stranger Things” breakout star Gaten Matarazzo, who has a bone disorder that affects the teeth, said that a CD once told him, “Kid, I love you, but you’ve got to get those teeth fixed.” 

But for some, teeth aren’t important. The Hollywood standard often means American screen actors are expected to have conventionally beautiful smiles, but there’s less of an emphasis on teeth for stage actors and actors in many other countries, such as England. “I've got wonky teeth,” English star Keira Knightley told CBS. “And I keep hearing about everybody going to Hollywood and their agents going, ‘Straighten your teeth’ or ‘Whiten your teeth,’ but nobody’s ever said anything about my teeth. They're not straight, apparently. But nobody’s ever said anything, which is quite nice, I suppose.”

A unique smile can even help you land roles. For some actors—particularly character actors—teeth that deviate from the norm can make them stand out. Matarazzo credits his canines with landing him parts. “Pretty much every part I’ve booked is because of the condition,” he explained to Mediaplanet.

Steve Buscemi also attributes his success as an actor in part to his distinctive teeth. “I’ve had dentists who have wanted to help me out, but I say, ‘You know, I won’t work again if you fix my teeth,’” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Similarly, Anna Paquin feels that keeping the notable gap between her front teeth has allowed her to take on a wider variety of roles than if she’d had it fixed. “I think anyone is as critical as they have the energy to self-obsess, but I also know as an actress you are more limited if you interfere with your looks,” she said in an interview with Zooey. “If you have a whole bunch of work done with your teeth … then you’re only going to play modern people. That’s a big choice to make. Very limiting.”

Common dental work in the entertainment industry

Zendaya, Anna Kendrick, Tom Cruise

Kathy Hutchins/Tinseltown/Shutterstock

While some actors accept and even embrace dental imperfections, others choose to straighten, whiten, or cap their teeth. But before cutting one’s teeth on a cosmetic dentistry journey, it’s vital to have a thorough dental checkup and take care of any oral health concerns.

“If you have gums that bleed easily upon brushing, do you realize that your appearance could look worse if you don’t treat that problem prior to getting any cosmetic procedure?” dentist Dr. Ken Ross told Simi Horwitz. “What happens if you spend all your available cash on a few front teeth and can’t afford to fix back teeth that might be decaying now? If you can’t afford to fix them, how would it look if they needed to be extracted? Be smart. Get a complete checkup first and have a game plan in place to correct any unanticipated tooth problems.” 

Once that’s completed, actors who choose to embark on bite beautification may do one or several of the following: 

Braces: Orthodontic treatment entails straightening and shifting the teeth to improve their appearance and functionality. “I had braces when I was younger to fix some alignment issues, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made,” Scarlett Johansson said in an interview with cosmetic dentist Dr. Saro Babian. 

Long gone are the days of mandatory metal mouths; today, many celebrities, including Billie Eilish and Anna Kendrick, use invisible aligners to straighten their teeth. “I've been doing it for a couple of months and everybody can see the difference in my bottom teeth,” Kendrick told Us Weekly.

Bleaching: According to the Oral Health Foundation, tooth whitening is an effective way of lightening your natural tooth color. Most professional bleaching treatments use hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide as the active ingredient, sometimes made more efficient by lights and lasers.

Celebrity dentist Dr. Richard Marques explained to Harper’s Bazaar that he recommends dental bleaching for actors looking to brighten their smiles. “Overall, professional teeth whitening is a great treatment and 95% of patients leave extremely happy with the results and think it is one of the best investments in their smile available.”

Professional bleaching is a part of Zendaya’s dental upkeep. “A bright smile is a confidence booster, so I make sure to get my teeth professionally whitened when needed,” she told Babian.

Actor Sonora Chase notes that whitening her teeth makes a difference in how CDs respond to her auditions. “It may be subconscious on their part, but there’s a certain look that puts you in the employment category,” she told Horwitz. “Before I got my teeth whitened, they made comments suggesting that I was not going to be on TV. That has changed.”

Veneers and crowns: Many folks who desire a whiter smile turn to artificial restoration in the form of veneers and crowns. These are thin shells or full caps that cover the natural teeth. Actors including Tom Cruise, Hillary Duff, and Megan Fox have reportedly had this type of work done to achieve their zhuzhed-up looks.

If you’re thinking about getting cosmetic dental work, it’s important to do your research and ask for referrals. “An agent, business manager, photographer, makeup artist, director, producer, etc., are often people you trust and who have experience with those who’ve had successful cosmetic dentistry,” Ross advised.

Famous actors with imperfect teeth

Willem Dafoe, Woody Harrelson, Anna Paquin

Featureflash Photo Agency/s_bukley/Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock

These celebrities may not meet the idealized Hollywood aesthetic for straight white teeth, but each bears a unique grin that gives reason to celebrate.

  • Uzo Aduba
  • Steve Buscemi
  • Gary Busey
  • Willem Dafoe
  • Kirsten Dunst
  • Nat Faxon
  • Will Ferrell
  • Woody Harrelson
  • Samuel L. Jackson
  • Keira Knightley
  • Matthew Lewis 
  • Anna Paquin
  • Charlie Sheen
  • Channing Tatum
  • Rachel Weisz

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