Eye of the Beholder

Whether you’re the president or Taylor Swift, your mouth is a conversation topic—and we’re not talking about what comes out of it. But perfectly aligned, blindingly white teeth are no longer the gold standard, reports our beauty-and-wellness columnist

By Linda Wells

Julia Roberts, they’re coming for you. Tom Cruise, you’re up. Nice documentaries, Ryan Reynolds and David Beckham, but not nice enough. Football guy who takes Taylor Swift out to dinner? You too. The cosmetic dentists would like a word.

The teeth of America have never been whiter, straighter, or more even. They’re as luminous as a South Sea pearl. And, as it tends to happen, some of these teeth are too white, too straight, and too even. As luminous as a Chiclet. “They’re supposed to look like teeth,” says Dr. Michael Apa, the cosmetic dentist of Apa Aesthetic, the luxurious clinics in New York, Los Angeles, Dubai, and, soon, Miami. “You’re not supposed to notice them.”