Nicole Kidman and her dazzling smile have graced a multitude of red carpets and magazine covers over her lengthy career in Hollywood and at 56 she's as gorgeous as ever.
But it's not just her infamous red hair or bold fashion sense that have transformed over the years as her megawatt smile has also undergone a makeover.
Photos from the early days of her acting career show Nicole's teeth looking very different from today. So, what has she done to achieve her picture-perfect smile? Two dental experts weighed in to HELLO! to reveal what treatments they believe Nicole has undergone.
Gum contouring
"Looking at the earlier pictures of Nicole, we can see that her top gums are visibly noticeable, which can cause the teeth to appear smaller," said leading cosmetic dentist and the President Elect of The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, Dr. Sam Jethwa, of Bespoke Smile.
"This suggests that she has undergone a dental procedure called gum contouring to address the extra gum tissue, however not alone, the shapes of the teeth have been improved to match."
He described the procedure, revealing that it involves "using a high-powered laser to contour uneven, or extra gum tissue with the aim of re-shaping the gums to make them look smaller and/or neater in proportion to the teeth.
© Getty Images"The procedure lasts approximately one hour, and once the tissue has been lasered it cannot grow back. "The healing process depends on the patient," he added. "But it can take anything from a few days to a few weeks."
Smile dimensions
"If we compare old pictures to new pictures, we can see that Nicole Kidman’s teeth have always appeared straight, although they do lean slightly inwards and the proportions are ever so slightly irregular," Dr. Jethwa explained. "Her smile looks more mature now, in a good way with more width and balance with her natural asymmetries.
© Getty Images"Her smile is what we call 'harmonious', in keeping with her facial features, working with the asymmetries of the face. In more current pictures dimensions of her smile seemed to have changed. She now has what we like to call a ‘wide smile’, where the smile is typically wider and displays more of the upper teeth than the lower."
Dental veneers
Dental veneers appear to have played a big part in altering Nicole's smile and the experts agree. "We can see from Nicole Kidman’s smile that it has changed considerably over the years," said Dr. Richard Marques BDS of Doctor Richard London. "Her original smile was quite uneven, but her smile is now whiter and much more even.
"In my opinion she has had teeth straightening and whitening and she may well have had some natural looking veneers. As a dentist I think her smile looks great and still has a lot of character.
© GettyDr. Jethwa further elaborated on the theory of Nicole's veneers by adding: "Veneers may be necessary to create a more even smile, which is what I believe Nicole Kidman has had. It appears that Nicole’s top eight teeth have been improved with ultra thin porcelain veneer treatment. Often eight or ten upper teeth are the chosen option.
"Dental veneers are essentially a covering for the natural teeth, and will be made of either composite resin or porcelain. They are bonded to the front of the tooth to change their color, shape, size or length."
And he clarified that while many people assume that to have veneer's their teeth need to be drilled down and transformed into small pegs, "this is not the case".
© Getty Images"This treatment is minimally invasive and we will always preserve as much of the natural tooth as we can. It is just not necessary to drill them down so much. On average, our ultra thin veneers can last from 10 to 15 years, and with excellent care they can last up to 20 years."
Teeth whitening
Dr. Jethwa and Dr. Marques also believe Nicole has had her teeth whitened and said that although dental veneers do not require whitening treatment, it looks as if her bottom teeth have been brightened up to match her top ones.
Note: Neither Dr. Sam Jethwa nor Dr. Richard Marques have treated Nicole Kidman.
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