Flawless has complications. Perfect teeth, a Hollywood ideal, have now become the on-screen standard for A-list actors. The rise of orthodontics and the decline of smoking have played a role in creating this new normal. But the key factor was undoubtedly the historical conquest of veneers.
Although there are notable holdouts — including Willem Dafoe and Kirsten Dunst (who has said of her crooked smile, “That’s what makes me special”) — these days there seems to be an inexorable pull in the industry to move past the individualistic hoax on symmetrical glare . This can be upwards of $60,000 for a full set of veneers from one of the top cosmetic dentists in town. But that’s often seen as worthwhile in an unrelenting age of high-definition TVs and zoomable photos on social media. After all, second-rate work can mean risking the strange ‘Chiclet’ effect and consequent public scorn.
Hollywood’s most sought-after veneer experts say that while for some clients the brighter and whiter the better, they prefer to practice soft naturalism. “It’s about designing for your face, following your anatomy and contouring,” explains Dr. Sam Saleh, whose clientele includes The Weeknd, Doja Cat and Real Housewives cast members Dr. Kevin Sands, whose practice attracts the likes of Emma Stone, Miles Teller and Kim Kardashian, agrees: “On a weekly basis, people say, ‘I want [my teeth] to look like Kim Kardashian.’ Well, Kim’s teeth look perfect for Kim.”
Kim Kardashian’s dentist, Kevin Sands, says clients are asking for teeth that look like hers.
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Dr. Bill Dorfman, who has worked on everyone from Hugh Jackman and Eva Longoria to Anne Hathaway, notes, “I’ve groomed most of the top A-list celebrities in town, and you’d never know they had veneers on. The worst thing in the world to me is to have someone come up to you and say, “Oh my god, your veneers look great.” I don’t want people to know you have them.”
These dentists strive for verisimilitude by focusing on understated details. They add texture with a thin layer of porcelain. They are careful to maintain humanitarian discrepancies through gum line grading. And they are sure to introduce translucency at the edge of their custom shells. “A dead giveaway for veneer is if you don’t have it,” Dorfman explains.
But talent agents question whether five-figure prices are worth it as a business investment, especially for up-and-coming talent. “It’s like I know what you’re making,” says one manager about conversations with customers who haven’t yet come through. (Another insider quips that many young actors shoulder “veneer debt” on top of college debt.)
But the reality is that teeth rarely determine who gets roles. “If it’s a problem, there are ways to handle it,” explains casting director John Papsidera (Oppenheimer, Yellowstone).
Those who handle any problems are effects technicians who specialize in dental prosthetics. While they sometimes use attention-grabbing tools like fangs, much of their work is about the fine art of subverting the glamor of Hollywood smiles to a more banal, live-in look. Todd McIntosh, head of hair and makeup at Netflix Griseldanoted that experienced on-screen dental prosthetics designer Art Sakamoto developed several sets of fake chompers for Sofía Vergara to play the eponymous Miami drug queen, after which McIntosh used specific tooth makeup paint to yellow them. “Some were more bent and twisted, others more or less yellowed,” he says. “Teeth are a very specific thing. They can overcome. We ended up with the least annoying set: slightly crooked, slightly out of alignment and yellowed from smoking.”
Sakamoto — who has created subtle pearls for Sarah Paulson’s Linda Tripp in Impeachment: American Crime Story and Colin Farrell’s upcoming title The Penguin — compares wearing dentures to wearing custom clothing, which pushes artists to express their bodies in new ways. “It’s physical,” he says. “It affects the way they talk and react.”
Christian Tinsley, whose effects studio handles smiley themes for productions such as HBO Perry Masonnotes that decision makers focus more on dental details when it comes to character-based period pieces. There are two solutions that will help an actor with very perfect teeth fit into another decade or century. Less expensive is a daily procedure of applying enamel colors directly to the teeth. “It’s makeup that creates a movie,” Tinsley explains. “You can add a nicotine and coffee look.” More involved is the production of painted micro-thin dentures, as Tinsley recently did for Annette Bening in an anonymous 1930s project: “All he has to do is put them on between takes.” This is the best approach for stars whose characters have crooked, broken or missing teeth.
Dental technician Gary Archer – who has spent three decades adjusting teeth for hundreds of productions, including Austin Powers’ smile and Mrs. Doubtfire’s dentures – uses a plastic gap-forming method similar to Invisalign. Or he’ll use acrylic shells worn over the talent’s own teeth, as in the case of David Oyelowo’s character in Lawmen: Bass Reeveswhich imbue the hint of imperfection required for the 1860s Paramount+ series. Says Archer, “David’s teeth – God bless him – are perfect, but they look out of place for the era.”
Beatrice Verhoeven contributed to this report.
This story first appeared in the July 31 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to register.
