Grillz, jewelry, makeup and veneers, clothes for the teeth

“No, my teeth are not lavatory! ” With clenched jaws and lips pulled back, the doctor never puts his face on a sink. “See, I’m ivory, not washbasin!” ” he insists. We are on the TikTok account of Jérémy, a young dental surgeon with 2.8 million subscribers, who has been publishing entertaining and informative videos about his specialty for two years. His nickname comes from his leitmotif “Never do that! Never [jamais en anglais] ! “ For example, brushing your teeth horizontally, making homemade toothpaste, etc. This time, he replies to one of his followers.

Sink color? It is almost an insult to this fighter of bad oral practices, but also of abuse in the name of beauty. “Really white teeth don’t exist! “ hammers, in the face of the wave of influencers and stars of all kinds who show off unreal smiles on social networks. Like Nabilla Vergara, the Instagram star with 7.9 million subscribers, who reveals very white teeth in the images. Her Dubai dentist also posted her video of her transformation …

From 300 to 1500 euros per veneer

Last January, influencer Lila Taïeb (326,000 followers) thanked a dental center in Istanbul. “I am very happy and the city is very beautiful. Thanks BodyExpert! “ Tunisia, Turkey, Hungary, Colombia… these countries offer aesthetic and dental care at bargain prices.

Their flagship offer? The veneers, these small shells that mask the outer face of the so-called smile teeth – the canines and incisors, but not the premolars and molars – unsightly (colored, broken, etc.) or simply not white enough in the eyes of the “affected” .

In France, veneer costs between 300 and 1,500 euros depending on its composition and the professional who installs it. It lasts from ten to twenty years. To adapt the teeth, the first veneers required a severe, now lighter filing. However, tooth cutting is an irreversible act that too many influencers present as a tip (makeup in English) similar to applying false nails. Sometimes, of course, they do galleys “, Like Angèle Salentino of the“ Marseillais ”on W9, who lost one in front of the camera. But like everything sells in reality TV, the scene has become a gag. “ Beautiful, ugly, beautiful, ugly … “ she sang, taking off and putting on her prosthesis.

Instead of hiding your teeth, you can choose to highlight them with grillz – dental jewelry. The music stars love it, and finally those whose look is very studied. And as for their clothes, they have their favorite designer. Madonna, Jay-Z, Pharell Williams or Rosalía – the new Hispanic pop diva, all wear French Dolly Cohen grillz. Her custom-made removable prostheses, in gold, studded with stones or diamonds, are “dental-ellerie” for precious mouths.

Grillz, self-adhesive rhinestones or fluorescent decals

Singer Angèle often sports rhinestones in her smile. Problem, to deposit the glue that will keep the shine, you need to make a micro hole in the tooth. The alternative to this deleterious fashion? Self-adhesive rhinestones, but their hold is ephemeral. Even more trendy: dental decals that reveal themselves by rolling up the upper lip, like a dog ready to bite. The bad boy trend isn’t new, considers JoeyStarr, all silver-toothed in his youth. But, today, it is quite young people who personalize their teeth with fluorescent or even black transfers. The must? Pair them with a tongue tattoo, which one pulls out to show off while showing off their piercings. Do you disregard standardized beauty?

Losing hair, a male obsession

Not really, because the other big trend of the moment is also the realignment of the teeth, thanks to the invention of transparent plastic gutters. This device allows adults to discreetly straighten them. “At 15 all teenagers have rings, but not at my age! ” says Florence, 55, who has been wearing gutters for eighteen months. “In the photos, I found my smile not terrible, it bothered me, continues this financial director in Paris, so i went to my daughter’s orthodontist. “

He had to wait until he had the necessary budget. Because having well-aligned teeth, even if they are not gold, is money, a lot of money (1). “In all it cost me 5,000 euros”, she specifies. It must be said that the subsequent gutters are made by a prosthetist or by a company like Invisalign, a market leader, from 3D images of the teeth and then by software that models the correction. We change the aligners every fortnight to gradually straighten each tooth. And it takes a long time … Patience that low cost mask wearers no longer need.

Realign, but at what cost?

Last June, in huge advertisements, a certain Dr. Smile promised to do so“align your teeth in four or nine months with our invisible dental aligners”. This German company, which has just established itself in France, announces that it has equipped 100,000 people in Europe, over 68% women and 67% under 35. «Dr Smile aligners treat simple and medium malocclusions (2), explains Mathilde Banino, country manager France of Dr Smile. The treatments focus on moving the smile teeth (canines and incisors) ” she continues. Rates? Between 1,590 and 2,690 euros in “ Cash “, specify the site.

At this price, you shouldn’t expect to see an orthodontist, but only communicate with a consultant. “If necessary, it is also possible to make an appointment with a Dr Smile partner practice for a physical follow-up”, assures Matilde Banino. But there is no indication that qualified orthodontists practice in these studies.

This is not without concern Jean-Baptiste Kerbrat, president of the Medical Society of Dento-Maxilo-Facial Orthopedics (SMODMF) and stomatologist in Rouen and at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris: “Pushing a tooth is a medical procedure, but here we are in cosmetology. The teeth are made to fit together, like a gear. Without meshing, the alignment is insufficient. So, I treated a patient who had followed her treatment sold on the Internet but whose jaws were not facing each other. “ Finally, remember that post-treatment follow-up is essential. And that, sometimes, the solution is simply functional. Because the teeth are part of a whole in which everyone plays their part. By dint of forgetting it, we risk one day … laughing out loud.

(1) Orthodontic care is covered up to the age of 16.(2) Malocclusion is an abnormality in the alignment of the teeth and in the relationship between the two dental arches.Shein, the new fast fashion giant and mirror of our ambiguities –