If you want a bright, long-term way to revolutionise your smile, ceramic veneers can be an effective option alongside crowns, bridges and implants depending on your particular dental needs.
The veneer is a core component to a range of treatments alongside teeth whitening and braces that form a complete treatment known as “Hollywood smiles”.
However, whilst Hollywood smiles are named for the glamorous results, it is sometimes forgotten that Tinseltown made a pivotal contribution to the world of cosmetic dentistry thanks to the pioneering work of Charles Pincus.
Dr Pincus developed acrylic dental caps in 1928 that provided an immediate and dramatic shift in the look of the actors who wore them, allowing for more even-looking smiles whilst on set.
This was a necessity as the rise of the “talkie” meant the hiring of stage actors with dramatic vocal performances, but many of these had damaged, crooked or missing teeth not noticed in the theatre.
The most famous early case of dental veneers being used was with the child actor Shirley Temple, who did not have any of these issues. Instead, due to her age, a lot of her baby teeth were falling out at the same time she was acting, meaning that the veneers were needed to keep shooting.
Other famous clients included Judy Garland, James Dean, Joan Crawford and Bob Hope, but the issue at first was that the dental adhesives available at the time would only keep the veneers on for a few hours at most.
This was fine for use as a prosthetic prop in a film, but to take it to the masses, Dr Pincus would need to improve their longevity and durability. As anyone who has worn false costume teeth can attest, acrylic does not last too long.
It would take until 1959 and the development of etching by Dr Michael Buonocore for the modern field of aesthetic dentistry to reach a much wider audience and to be used for more than fixing actors’ smiles.