Have you ever closely examined Selena Gomez’s teeth? I mean, have you ever taken a moment to truly observe them? Have you ever scrutinized the gentle, rosy contour of her gums, or paid attention to the way her two front teeth are positioned along the line where her lower lip meets the transition point between the moist and dry parts of the lip when she smiles?
Did you happen to observe that around four years ago, there seemed to be a noticeable alteration in Gomez’s teeth? It appeared that their shape, color, and positioning had all transformed. They had become significantly whiter than before and were impeccably aligned in a perfectly straight row at the forefront of her face.
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Selena Gomez Teeth
This in-depth and rather intimate scrutiny of a well-known individual’s oral features might come across as the behavior of stalkers or individuals with a disturbing fixation. However, you can experience a similar inspection of the mouths of numerous celebrities by visiting the @veneercheck TikTok account, curated by Sara Hahn, a dentist with a Harvard education who specializes in cosmetic dentistry. With a mix of professorial expertise and influencer-like engagement, Hahn provides her evaluations and conjectures regarding the dental enhancements of famous personalities by overlaying her commentary on images of A-listers.
The video featuring Gomez commences with a red-carpet image from around 15 years ago, when the actress was in the “Wizards of Waverly Place” era, and Hahn initiates her examination. She notes, “Her central incisors, number eight and number nine, have a slight rotation — like this,” and illustrates by holding her hands together with her pinky fingers touching, slightly angling them so that their backs turn toward each other. Simultaneously, a more recent photograph of Gomez appears in the background. Hahn goes on to say, “In 2019, it appears that she had veneers done.”
An image taken from a magazine showcases a cheerful Selena Gomez with her mouth wide open. Hahn remarks, “In this photo, her teeth appear to be in good shape.” However, she points out that in many other photographs, like a candid paparazzi shot that replaces the polished advertisement, Gomez’s teeth seem to jut forward, inclined outward in a way she illustrates with her hand: she gestures at her mouth and tilts her wrist at a 45-degree angle from her face. Hahn speculates that this is likely because Gomez didn’t have her natural teeth rotated into a flat position through orthodontic treatment before getting veneers. As a result, she suggests, the veneer is probably quite thick on the front surface.
Towards the end of the video, Hahn introduces, in a somewhat secretive manner, another aspect that appears somewhat unconventional about these veneers: they all share the exact same length. She explains that typically, the two front teeth are usually around a millimeter longer than the adjacent lateral incisors. A young Selena smiles in the footage, and Hahn gestures towards her youthful teeth to illustrate that Gomez’s original teeth had the proper proportions naturally. If Gomez had been under her care, Hahn suggests that she most likely would have recommended Invisalign or braces as the primary option, or at the very least before opting for veneers.
While some individuals express discomfort with the intrusive nature of Hahn’s videos, which is a common sentiment (evident in responses such as “I would be mortified if someone did this to me” in response to Hahn’s assessment of Anya Taylor-Joy’s smile), and others criticize Hahn for suggesting that their beloved celebrities have undergone cosmetic procedures (Hahn is taken aback by “the overwhelming amount of denial” among Swifties), a substantial portion of Hahn’s followers, numbering over 140,000, express gratitude for her role in revealing the truth.
“I believe the most frequently mentioned comment I’ve received is that I’ve helped people recognize the beauty of their own smiles,” Hahn shared with me. “When you’re consistently bombarded with images of ‘perfect’ smiles, it’s easy to lose confidence in your own smile.”
Hahn started her TikTok account in March 2022 in response to a disconcerting pattern she observed among the smiles of celebrities: they all seemed to have identical teeth, almost unnaturally flawless and technically beautiful, to the point where they appeared unsettlingly perfect. Hahn doesn’t hold any moral judgment against veneers themselves, but she found herself disconcerted by the synthetic, uniform brilliance of these smiles. She remarked, “There’s no diversity in terms of color. There’s no variation in translucency. There’s no textural diversity. It’s as if they’re all identical and mass-produced.”
Meanwhile, an influx of patients were arriving at Hahn’s office, seeking to enhance or correct the veneers they had previously obtained. She observed an alarming trend of individuals undergoing what she considered unnecessary dental procedures, some of which were causing harm to their teeth. Hahn expressed her concerns about the idealization of veneers and the pursuit of a flawless Hollywood smile. Many of her patients seeking revisions were young women in their 20s who regretted their initial decision to get veneers.
Hahn was troubled by the irreversible damage that aesthetic dentistry could inflict on perfectly healthy natural teeth. She emphasized that no amount of wealth could replicate the quality of one’s natural, healthy tooth structure. While the prevalence of digitally altered magazine images and filtered Instagram photos was widely recognized, few were aware of how many celebrities had replaced their natural teeth with cosmetic dentistry. Hahn aimed to shed light on the hidden costs associated with this trend.
To illustrate, think of your tooth as an egg, with the pulp as the yolk and the dentin as the white. The enamel, like the eggshell, is the outermost layer of your tooth, protecting the pulp and dentin. Unlike your skin, enamel lacks living cells and cannot repair itself when damaged. Enamel acts as a shield against acidic foods and extreme temperatures, preventing these sensations from reaching the tooth’s nerve through microscopic tubules in the dentin.
For individuals with small teeth and wide gaps, a “no-prep veneer” might be suitable. However, most people require their teeth to be “prepped,” involving the removal of a small amount of tooth structure (0.5 to 1 millimeter) to accommodate the veneer. Veneers typically last about 15 years and need replacement. Once a tooth is prepared, it must always be covered by a veneer or crown due to the removal of enamel.
The most aggressive approach, known colloquially as “Turkey teeth” due to patients seeking treatment in Turkey, involves shaving the tooth down to a minimal size, removing all the enamel, and exposing the dentin, which is close to the nerve. Damage to the nerve can lead to infection and necessitate a root canal. Such teeth do not last as long as healthy ones, and each time a veneer is redone, additional tooth structure is lost, eventually weakening the tooth to the point of failure.
Despite the potential for harm, celebrities seem undeterred and view cosmetic dentistry as a mandatory enhancement for their on-camera careers. The quest for a flawless smile has become a standard step in their pursuit of fame. These perfect smiles are so uniform that they are practically indistinguishable from one another, regardless of characters’ backgrounds, historical periods, or habits like smoking.
Cosmetic dentistry, once reserved for the rich and famous, has become more accessible to the masses, thanks in part to social media influencers. People now aspire to achieve the same beauty standards promoted by celebrities and influencers, as the camera’s focus increasingly turns toward viewers themselves.
Instagram filters have given individuals a preview of how their smiles can be transformed, leading them to seek such enhancements. However, some teenagers who request veneers may be better suited for orthodontic treatment with braces, but the pressure to conform to filtered beauty standards can make this decision difficult.
Sara Hahn, a cosmetic dentistry specialist, aims to educate people about the natural beauty of their smiles. She highlights the importance of embracing one’s unique characteristics and not succumbing to the pressures of unrealistic beauty standards.
Kevin Sands, a cosmetic dentist with a large social media following, has witnessed a surge in popularity due to celebrity clients and Instagram. He offers custom-made veneers, with each tooth costing between $3,000 and $5,000. Rates for gum contouring are similarly expensive. A full smile makeover can cost around $100,000.
Sands shared before-and-after photos of his clients, the majority of whom are young women seeking to improve already healthy smiles. He emphasized the uniqueness of each smile transformation and the instant confidence boost his work provides.
The article explores the concept of “hotness creep,” a phenomenon in which individuals strive for a standardized and optimized appearance that may lack individuality and character. Hotness creep is driven by societal pressure to conform to beauty norms, often requiring costly and risky cosmetic interventions.
Despite the push for this homogenous beauty ideal, there is hope that the current trend of veneers and “perfect” smiles will eventually evolve and fall out of favor. In the meantime, many are willing to go to great lengths to achieve the appearance they believe is required in the age of social media and filtered photos.
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