Politics are all about looks, and at the same time they’re hardly about looks. The state of our nation is what’s really at stake, but what would newspaper caricaturists have to do all day if there weren’t politicians to mock? After all, most of the candidates running for president fit into a certain demographic, which includes questionable hair, well-earned wrinkles, and worldliness. But if we were voting to put someone in the highest office in the nation based on their teeth, how would the current Democratic and Republican presidential candidates fare?
Donald Trump
In 1976, the New York Times wrote an article about an up-and-coming businessman named Donald J. Trump. The article began by saying: “He is tall, lean, and blond, with dazzling white teeth, and he looks ever so much like Robert Redford.” While this description may sound absolutely nothing like the Trump we see today, there is photographic evidence that the guy vying for the White House was once quite dashing. Is his smile still in good shape today? The man draws so much attention to his mouth with his words and expressions that his teeth take center stage – and, befitting a man with his wealth and position, his teeth look just as white and aligned today as they did in the ‘70s. Is it teeth whitening and diligent preventive care that keeps The Donald’s smile in fine condition? Or does he have a stellar set of porcelain veneers? Trump will never tell – then again, maybe he will.
Hillary Clinton
Plenty of “experts” fault Hillary Clinton for her hairstyle, clothing choices, and the sound of her laugh. What about her teeth? They’re not perfect, but they look normal, and that’s saying a lot for a candidate who is has the means to do some serious cosmetic dentistry if she really wanted to. What Clinton appears to have is a reliable and common dental repair: crowns. When you think of dental crowns, you may typically think of molars being capped after a root canal therapy. But front teeth are candidates for crowns too and it looks as though that’s exactly what Hillary has on two of her front teeth. Not so long ago, Clinton’s dental work looked a little bit aged, with some gray coming through, revealing that she likely had porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns. Now, the gray is gone, which means she may have had her older restorative dentistry solution replaced with modern porcelain tooth crowns.
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Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz drew attention to his mouth after that very unfortunate speck of something that clung to his lip during one of the Republican debates. In fact, if you Google “Ted Cruz’s teeth,” the majority of the search results will be about that phantom white thing that was stuck to his mouth for a horrific number of seconds (and that will haunt him – and everyone who saw it – forever). But what about the man’s actual teeth? It’s difficult to locate a good, revealing photo of Ted’s teeth, and experts are saying his lackluster smile is one of the reasons he isn’t especially well-liked. Cruz’s tight smile or downturned smile makes him look insincere. Maybe the man is hiding something – like stained or crooked teeth. Maybe his advisors have recommended this affected stance. Or maybe, along with other alterations, Ted could use a smile makeover.
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders is known for a lot of things, including his accent and the fact that you can often only see his bottom teeth when he’s speaking. But the man isn’t shy about sharing his smile, revealing time and time again that he has nothing to hide. When Bernie grins, you can’t help but see an everyman with a nice smile. While the grin is infectious, the teeth inside the smile are far from perfect. It looks as though Bernie may be sporting a porcelain bridge and, along with that, a teeth whitening treatment. Together these two procedures can give you an amazing smile makeover, but if done at different times or by different dentists the shade of the bridge may not blend with the whitening, and that seems to be what Bernie has going on. The recommendation for him might be upgrading to a full set of porcelain veneers, which are capable of covering a host of cosmetic sins.
Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or otherwise, invest in something – your own smile. No matter what profession you’re in, a good set of teeth can make all the difference between success and failure, acceptance and exclusion. Make an appointment with Manhattan cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael J. Wei to learn more about the smile makeover solutions that are right for you.
