by Dr. Helaine Smith, D.M.D.

A recent article on StyleList talks about the new trend for celebrities: adding teeth gaps and imperfections to their smiles.

The article states that movie stars such as Anna Paquin are undergoing cosmetic dentistry in order to replace the gaps and imperfections they originally covered up with dental veneers.

Personally, I think this is a bunch of… well, I won’t say the word.

Movie stars already look fabulous . . . they’ve often had plastic surgery, they have frequent Botox injections, and they have armies of people doing their hair, applying makeup, and dressing them.

Adding a “flaw,” such as a gap between the front teeth, can make them seem more “human” — and can in fact help them in their careers. Just look at Harrison Ford and the scar on his chin, which was written into the script of the third Indiana Jones movie.

However, for the rest of you — including the patients who come to see me in distress because they’ve lived with stained, crooked or missing teeth for many years — it’s A-OK to use dental veneers, dental implants, and other cosmetic dentistry procedures to enhance your smile and regain your confidence.

A recent email from the husband of one of my patients points this out. He writes:

“Thank you for the wonderful job you did with my wife and her veneers. I have not seen her this happy since before her illness.”

This is one reason why I love what I do — I transform people’s lives.

So my advice to you is: Ignore what the movie stars are doing. If you don’t like how your smile looks, or you have gaps between your teeth, call my office to set up your free consultation. I’ll help you achieve the smile of your dreams — as well as make you feel fabulous and confident again.