IMPERFECT perfect.
“What that means is we can have teeth that are white, but not blazing white,’’ Dr. Jon Marashi tells Gentleman’s Quarterly, that venerable men’s magazine known simply as GQ or today as gq.com online. “The teeth can even have certain imperfections in them.”
Dr. Marashi is what Hollywood calls a celebrity cosmetic dentist whose clientele includes Kate Hudson and Ben Affleck.
He is “the dentist behind the world’s most famous smiles,” is how gq.com describes him in a very interesting article on dentistry in Hollywood.
Dr. Marashi specializes in dental veneers. These are very thin “shells” of tooth-colored materials custom-made to bond with the front surface of teeth to improve color, shape, size or length. In other words, to improve the appearance of teeth.
The article by Phillip Picardi also mentions Dr. Sam Saleh, a celebrity dentist in London whose patients include The Weeknd and Renée Zellweger.
Like Dr. Marashi, he makes veneer teeth.
Mr. Picardi describes Dr. Saleh’s five-step process: After other procedures that may be required such as implants, fillings, or root canals, Dr. Saleh prepares the patient for veneer teeth. He takes X-rays, photographs, and videos of the teeth.
A scan is then taken of the upper and lower teeth for a 3D printout. New teeth are then “designed”. This is followed by a fitting of the temporary veneers.
If all is acceptable, the veneers are placed on the patient’s fourth visit. That’s not all. A fifth visit is required for a general check-up and final look-see.
Such attention to detail is necessary. As Dr. Marashi explains, a tooth is not just flat white, it has gradations of yellow closer to the root depending on age. Perfectly bright white teeth may not be believable, much as they are highly desired.
Dental veneers are expensive – $1,000 or more per tooth. With Dr. Marashi or Dr. Saleh, it could cost $3,500 to $4,500 per tooth, other dental procedures not included. Multiply that 20 times, 10 for both lower and upper teeth and you have an idea of how much it costs.
The price may still be acceptable in America. There, many dental procedures like crowns and implants may cost the same. /PN
