We expect celebrities to always have their best foot forward when it comes to physical appearance and maybe that’s unfair of us. You are allowed a bad hair day, a terrible fashion decision, and a questionable performance every now and then, but these celebs have dropped the ball where it really counts; their teeth. Some of them have simply opted out of the necessary cosmetic dental procedures that could shape up their smiles in a matter of minutes, while others seem to flat out ignore their dental hygiene all together!

Jewel

If you have ever heard a Jewel song then you know that she is very in touch with her emotions and incredibly self-aware. Perhaps all this self-awareness is the reason she has chosen to leave her smile untouched.  Her entire bottom row of teeth are crooked to say the least, and the top row is staggered and jumbled, but maybe that’s part of her appeal. She’s always had that Lilith Fair, “I am woman hear me roar” persona going on and her crooked smile was kind of her way of saying she doesn’t have to change a thing. Until now of course. When she took on the role of June Carter Cash in 2012 her character came complete with a new set of beautiful pearly whites! Production has long since wrapped, but Jewel took her lovely new smile home with her.

Steve Buscemi

Although Buscemi’s teeth make sense for almost every character portrayal the actor has taken on, you can’t help but wonder why he’s never just gotten them fixed. Maybe he’s comfortable with the giant hanging front tooth, and the awkward spacing of the lateral incisors, but why not get a cleaning at the very least? Judging by all the closed mouth smiles he shoots on the red carpet he isn’t exactly proudly sporting the ghastly grin so why not just change it? The world may never know because for the past 20 years his movies have gotten better and his smile has gotten worse so perhaps it’s working for him just fine.

Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson has been in and out of the news for his fair share of drama. He has been called a champion, a legend,  a cry baby, a sore loser and a slew of other things but we all seem to glaze right over the fact that his teeth are a spectacle. He sports a goofy grin with a prominent gap in his two front teeth and two gold teeth on the right side. His mouth is essentially a spectacle but not in the calculated purposefully silly manner of Flava Flav and his gap isn’t worn with grace like Madonna’s. It all comes together kind of foolishly in a way that makes you wonder why a man who at one point sported mink coats and huge obnoxiously ornamental jewelry—never took the time to do anything about his smile.

Morgan Freeman

There are few places where Morgan Freeman falls short, but for more than 40 years on screen,  dental hygiene was certainly one—even if it was the only one. It is one thing to take a stand against altering your appearance for public appeal, but it is another thing entirely to give off the appearance that you have never sat in a dentist’s chair. Freeman must have had, what I can only assume, was an overwhelming fear of the dentist and if that was the case then he got over it. For years he sported the yellowed and brown, crooked and misshapen teeth look but in 2011 he bit the bullet and got that much needed mouth makeover.  At the end of the day is still Morgan Freeman, one of the greatest and most versatile actors of all time so his smile is of little significance, but boy has it improved!

Lil Wayne

I remember a time when the all gold, platinum, chrome and diamond studded “grill” look was all the rage. You hadn’t made it as a rap mogul unless you had a ridiculous grilled installed in your mouth. Well the day for that look has come and gone but Lil Wayne can’t seem to let go. His sound has changed, his label has changed, and several aspects of his style have changed too—from baggy shorts to skinny jeans—but not his grill. Nelly, who went so far as to author an entire song about grills, dropped the nonsense and joined us in the 21stcentury so why can’t Lil Wayne? I guess you shouldn’t really expect much more from a self-proclaimed Martian.

Dr. Lance Jue is a dentist at A Beautiful Smile Lake Pointe in Sugar Land, Texas. His practice has been providing restorative, cosmetic and general dental care for the past 19 years and he strives to provide patients with the most comprehensive and state-of-the-art care available. He is committed to both his work and community and his team strives to make every one of your dental visits as comfortable and hassle-free as possible.

Steve Buscemi
Mike Tyson
Morgan Freeman before and after
Lil Wayne