A tide is turning when it comes to veneers. What was once the go-to dental treatment to achieve the quote-unquote perfect white smile is slowly becoming a beauty ick. “There is no question that the natural look is the flavor of the moment,” says Los Angeles cosmetic dentist Jon Marashi, DDS. “There was a long stretch where people were looking for a more noticeable look—this concept of big, white veneers as a status symbol. But the pendulum has swung back completely in the opposite direction.”
This new anti-veneer movement is similar to people’s shift away from filler: Many are starting to be turned off by the obvious fake-looking appearance. TikToks like doctor of dental medicine Sara Hahn’s viral account @veneercheck are now dedicated to dissecting and analyzing the supposed celebrity dental work (most, if not all, are speculated), and celebrities such as Cynthia Erivo, Ayo Edebiri, and Kirsten Dunst have been vocal about—and celebrated for—wanting to keep their teeth as natural as possible.
But Dr. Marashi sees clients still wanting some work done on their teeth, just as long as it’s undetectable. “People who might have considered veneers in the past [and] who have great teeth to begin with might be pulling back because it’s more want based as opposed to need based,” he says. “They might be realizing that big, bright, white veneers have become a faux pas in a way. So they’re either appreciating what they have or opting for more conservative enhancements, such as invisible aligners, whitening, or both.”
So whether you opt for more natural-looking treatments or want to fully embrace any gaps, crookedness, or perceived imperfections with your smile, it’s always about what you’re most comfortable with. But should you be inclined to do the latter, look to some of our favorite celebs for inspo.
Aimee Lou Wood
Aimee Lou Wood’s physical appearance, specifically her teeth, has been the focus of pop-culture discourse lately. Saturday Night Live recently mocked the actor’s prominent gap in a White Lotus–themed skit. Many jumped to the actor’s defense on social media, and the actor posted several Instagram Stories calling the show out for being mean. “I am not thin-skinned,” Wood wrote. “I actually love being taken the piss out of when it’s clever and in good spirits. But the joke was about fluoride. I have big gap teeth, not bad teeth.”
This isn’t the first time the White Lotus actor has publicly addressed her teeth. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year, Wood talked about the differences in demeanor and outward appearance between her and her American castmates. “These people live in Hollywood,” she said. “I live in my little flat in southeast London, and I’m so British in my sensibility that I wasn’t sure how to handle being around so many people who are so front footed and confident. All I ever do is take the piss out of myself. Even the way [White Lotus fans] are talking about me and my teeth—that I don’t have veneers or Botox—it feels a bit rebellious.”
She took a more celebratory note in an interview with On Demand Entertainment, where she talked about how her teeth and British accent better suited her White Lotus character: “I can do an American accent, but they just wanted my Manchester one. I did one tape in American and one tape in my own [accent], and [Mike White] just said, ‘Let’s just [do] Manchester,’ and he made [the character] from Manchester. It works for her, I think. I also don’t look very American at all. It’s the teeth. No Americans have my teeth.”
And though now she would like the public conversation to be about her work and not her teeth, she told The Sunday Times that she understood why her gap has been a hot topic of conversation. “I understand what it represents,” she said. “People feel more confident about their imperfections. It does feel a bit weird that the thing I got bullied for is now the thing that everyone’s like, ‘Woo!’”
Ayo Edebiri
Ayo Edebiri sat down with Bustle in 2022 to talk about her breakout role on the hit show The Bear. When discussing her admiration for actors who look like themselves, she added herself to that list. “This is the first time in my life where I love how I look,” Edebiri told Bustle. “I love my skin, I love my teeth, I love my eyes.”
She also briefly recounted how a dentist once suggested she get Invisalign, which she profusely refused. “I’m not allowed to,” she said. “I won’t allow myself to. I don’t want to, I want to look like myself. I want to look like my parents, I want to look like my family. I want to look like Black people who are from Boston.”
Cynthia Erivo
In her 2021 Beauty Secrets video, Cynthia Erivo told Vogue that her gap teeth are a part of who she is as a person. Erivo went on to say that so many young girls with the same gap in their teeth are told to change it, but she wants to fight against the notion that gap teeth don’t look great. “I think a smile that has a gap in it already is perfect,” she said. “I wouldn’t change it. I have never wanted to change it. I never will change it. And I don’t shy away from people looking at my mouth. So if you have a gap out there, enjoy it.”
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst touched upon Hollywood’s unrealistic beauty standards in a 2024 interview with British GQ. She recalled when she was 17 and a producer took her to the dentist (without her permission) to get her teeth straightened. She simply told the producer, “No, I like my teeth.”
She later credited director Sofia Coppola for helping her make decisions that she was comfortable with regarding her looks. “I had Sofia [Coppola] at 16, who I thought was so cool and pretty when I didn’t. She was like, ‘I love your teeth!’” Dunst said. “I didn’t realize at the time. I realized it [later] in the decisions I had made—not to change teeth, not to blow up my lips, or whatever it is that everyone wants to look like.”
Uzo Aduba
Uzo Aduba partnered with Colgate to celebrate her gap teeth. In a 2024 sponsored Instagram post, the actor wrote in the caption, “When I was younger, I would stand in the mirror, fixating over the gap in my teeth. It wasn’t until I learned my smile is representative of my family’s heritage that it actually became a source of pride for me.”
Georgia May Jagger
One can’t think of fabulous gap teeth without considering model and beauty founder Georgia May Jagger. In a 2008 interview with the Daily Mail, Jagger talked about her mother’s (supermodel Jerry Hall) stance on cosmetic procedures. And like mother, like daughter: Jagger doesn’t believe young girls should be succumbing to the pressure of looking perfect. “I wouldn’t even have braces on my teeth,” she said. “I think they are horrible, and this idea that everyone should conform and be perfect is ridiculous. I like the fact I have good old-fashioned British teeth with a big gap. Who wants those gleaming white cosmetically enhanced American teeth?”
Kate Moss
We all love Kate Moss’s signature smile. But it took some time for even the supermodel to get used to not looking like everyone else. In a 2008 Q&A with Interview, Moss talked about embracing the features that set her apart. “After five years, you get used to it and you’re not self-conscious anymore,” she said. “You’re not conscious about your flaws. Bowlegs. Crooked teeth. That is what makes you different from everyone else.”
