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There are two types of people in the world: those who schedule their cleanings a year out, and those who consider a trip to the dentist the highest form of torture. For the former set, we have good news: Dentists are having a moment on Instagram right now. And their posts are as voyeuristic and oddly satisfying as those pimple popping videos you probably also enjoy.
Celebrity cosmetic dentists like Michael Apa, MD, and Victoria Veytsman, MD, regularly post smile transformations to their Instagram pages, which collectively have nearly 200K followers. There's gum lifts, realignment, crown replacements, full veneers — basically all the words you're terrified to hear in the office, but love looking at online. "I think there are more people interested in doing their teeth than most people assume," says Dr. Apa. "When you can give people the before-and-afters — something digestible — it's so perfect for Instagram. You draw someone in and show them the possibilities."
But these makeovers are deeper than just aesthetics. "My assistant and I always say that we wish there was a fly on the wall for some of these conversations," says Dr. Veytsman, who sometimes includes her patients' emotional stories in her captions. "We call it mental dental — we talk about everything. We don't just look at a patient's smile. We look at their whole life."
Let's make one thing clear: There's no such thing as a "perfect" smile. Gaps, chips, crooked teeth — it's all what makes you you. But for those who choose to enhance what they've got — or just love getting lost in a rabbit hole of before-and-afters — the transformations ahead are for you.
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