The phrase “Hollywood Smile” is a cliche based on the thought that people in movies have beautiful smiles. It’s true that many people become famous because of their smiles, and, if they’re talented but don’t have great smiles, well, that’s why Hollywood invented porcelain veneers.
But a new smile quiz gives us an opportunity to look at some au courant smiles and ask whether these smiles would be famous if their owners weren’t otherwise talented or skilled. It also helps us understand some of the goals of cosmetic dentistry and what you might be looking for from your smile makeover.
If you want to take the quiz, go ahead and do it now, because there will be spoilers ahead.
The Ladies’ Smiles
Taylor Swift’s smile is the one that starts us off, and, really, it seems too white for words. Whether this is because of restorations or teeth whitening, or just the stark contrast between her teeth and that deep crimson lipstick, it’s hard to say. She definitely gets points for her smile, too, with teeth that aren’t too large, but are a very feminine softly rounded shape. Good framing with her lips and a nice smile line, though perhaps less gum showing than we might expect, and with a little damage on the right central incisor.
Emma Watson’s smile is shown in a much broader, more open form. Her upper teeth are really nicely balanced, with the central incisors longer than the laterals, which are also shorter than her canines. The color is good, a pleasant pale ivory that looks healthy and natural, and there’s only a hint of crookedness in the small laterals.
Beyonce’s smile gives us our first real look at a full closed smile. The smile lines are nice, with harmony between the upper lip, lower lip, and the peaks of the upper teeth. Just a hint of negative space on the one side to keep her smile from looking too toothy. Feminine square-round shape to her teeth is very attractive. The only real downside here is that there’s some staining in the front of her smile.
Zooey Deschanel’s smile is nice and white, but it is certainly not the most cosmetic smile in the lineup. What’s interesting is that the quiz authors use the term “adorkable” to describe her smile, which is probably apt–there’s an off-kilterness to her smile, especially in the tilt of her canines, that conveys attractiveness and personality all at once.
Julia Roberts is the only star on the list who has a smile that is independently famous. What is striking about her smile is just how broad it is, and how sincere. Not too white, and with an engaging arrangement of teeth that is both healthy and individual. A slight gap between the left central and lateral incisors helps her play the part of an all-American girl who is almost–but not quite–too perfect.
The Men’s Smiles
Tom Hiddleston’s nicely balanced smile for the most part overturns notions of the infamous British smile, but there are traces that we’re looking at a different smile standard here. A premolar that tilts outward and noticeable crookedness in the lower teeth would likely have been addressed in an American star.
Zac Efron’s teeth show a more American smile aesthetic, as they are straight and white, though with the faintest hint of a gap between the central incisors, and, maybe, just a touch of beginning recession in the papilla (protrusion of gum) between the central incisors. This picture was obviously taken before his big box office bomb We Are Your Friends dropped.
Drake is also one of the people who is partly famous for his smile. His smile has an air of sincerity and he loves to show it off at every occasion, which is why he can support not one, but two Tumblrs of his smile. The hugeness of his smile definitely accounts for the perception of sincerity–he has the most gum show of any of the celebrities, but this is not to say that his smile is perfect. Probably the biggest issue is that his teeth are unevenly discolored, which may be the result of using at-home whiteners that whiten teeth unevenly, or perhaps he’s just overdue for a professional cleaning.
Is Your Smile Ready to Be Famous?
Whatever your talent, whatever your skill, in this Internet age you could be milliseconds from fame on any given day. If you’re trying to break through, it’s a good idea to make sure you’ve got a smile you’d be comfortable seeing on screens around the world, whether they’re a 6-inch iPhone screen or a 60-foot IMAX screen.
To get your smile ready to be famous, please call (949) 551-5902 for an appointment with an Orange County cosmetic dentist at Rice Dentistry in Irvine.
