veneers

I think Kathy Griffin has a fantastic sense of humor.  She seems down to Earth, irreverent, and like she'd be a very cool person to have cocktails and joke around with.  Having said that, I do not approve of the browlift.  I think Terri Hatcher's surgeon must've gotten to her...looks like similar work, no?  I think that they were high enough before.  Now she's starting to look like this guy:

Well, I suppose a "Guess Who" isn't the bestest idea because of the fact that I need to put a name in the tags and I also need to post afters... AnyWHO, here is Ms. Donatella Versace before and after some unfortunate plastic surgery choices for lip augmentation and a facelift as well as pearly white unreal Veneers (See Chris K's post), frying her hair and dipping herself into a vat of brick-orange fake and bake. Did I miss anything? I can't look anymore.

Girlfriend had some potential, but even (especially?) the rich and famous sometimes don't do their homework on plastic surgeries.

Since the debut of the show "Extreme Makeover" in 2003, cosmetic surgery and dentistry have finally become mainstream. What was once reserved for the eccentric and/or rich is now available at strip malls. Not uncommon for a plastic surgery clinic to share walls with a Quiznos Sub Sandwich Shop. I can't help but notice an epidemic of terrible veneers. A few things come to mine. Dentist are pushing whiter, bigger (see Golden Proportions) and strangley perfect veneers on patients ages 18-90. I 've spent the last few years researching what makes beautiful teeth and what makes beautiful-looking laboratory made teeth.

1) No one has perfect teeth. Teeth all have imperfections. The biting edge should be irregular.

2) Color granduation. Teeth should be whiter and translucent at the edge, (translucent not grey), many times what supposed to be translucent ends up looking grey...not sure how this happens. As the veneer nears the gumline, it should become a warmer, yellow (gasp), yes yellow shade. The front 2 teeth can sometimes be whiter and as they go back they should be darker, especially the canines. This is NATURAL. Bottom teeth should also be darker as a whole - this is also normal. MANY things determine how white you can/should go. Age: A 50 year old man is not going to look or natural with super white teeth. The older you are, the more subtle the color should be....especially if your face has other signs of aging. Skin color: the darker your skin, the less white as well. The contrast with white veneers on a medium/dark olive complexion is going to draw a lot of attention. Nothing worse when you can't stop starring at a person's teeth because they "steal the focus" from all other features. It as bad as having rotten teeth you can't take your eyes off of. Lifestyle: What kind of job do you have? Are you selling million dollar homes, or are you a stay-at-home parent. This is another factor with how much pizazz your veneers should have. Eye color: The white of the eye in particular. The only other white thing on your face besides teeth is the white of the eye. The two should harmonize. If the whites of your eyes are yellow (hope the liver is ok) then veneers should be a yellowish hue as well.

Size/Shape: Have you heard the expression, "Long in tooth"? Sure you have, but apparently many dentist have not. The term comes from teeth LOOKING longer as one ages. What actaully happens is gum recession...this makes the tooth appear longer. Many dentist are under the impression that longer teeth are a sign of youth and as you age, the years of wear shortens them. It's my observation that gums recede at a far faster rate than teeth wear....unless you are heavy grinder. So what you see are overly long veneers that make a person look older. This has to stop! There's a happy medium. Teeth should gradually get shorter as they go back. They should not be even or the same length when fabricated in a lab. Spacing: I prefer hairline spaces between certain teeth...in particular between incisors and canines (my preference). I also like deeper embrasures which are the triangle spaces between teeth at the bottom. This helps to "break it up" and not have veneers appear as one piece to the eye - DENTURES! Most natual teeth have embrasures.

I will write more on this fascinating subject but not before an example of terrible veneers. The sad thing is, this looks like the work of a very expensive cosmetic dentist, unfortunately, expensive does not equal natural. Her teeth violate all the rules I stated above.