Dental Veneers Do Not Have To Look Like Dentures

Is it possible that the days of suspiciously perfect dental makeovers are ending? Might the “natural look” be coming back in style?

Though most dentists have known for some time that too-perfect tooth veneers can look fake, patients are finally starting to agree. They’re realizing that the best-looking smile isn’t always a celebrity grin.

The New York Times has taken note of this:

“The trend towards those thick, perfect-looking teeth started out because celebrities were getting them because they look good on camera,” said Gretta Monahan, a host on the upcoming season of “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style.” “Normal people then took pictures of those teeth to their dentists and saying, ‘I want that.’”

So more patients are asking for subtle variations in color, shape, and translucency.

Dr. Jeff Golub-Evans, a dentist on the Upper East Side, encourages patients to allow him to slightly rotate a tooth, or to vary the length of teeth. “What I’ve found is that if someone has perfectly symmetrical features and you put perfectly symmetrical teeth on that face, you ruin their face,” he said.

Roughly a third of Dr. Golub-Evans’ clients, however, still ask for teeth that are as big, as white and as straight as possible.

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