Hollywood’s 9 Whitest Smiles and Dentist-Recommended Tips to Achieve Them

“Jennifer Garner, who is known for her infectious smile, maintains her beaming white grin with help from both professional tooth whitening and good genes,” says Livingston, NJ cosmetic dentist Gary Silverstrom, DDS. “No, you probably can’t buy those in a store—the secret to maintaining white teeth and a healthy smile is keeping the plaque accumulation at bay. The body’s response to inflammation is limited greatly by simply removing plaque accumulation more often. Have your teeth cleaned at least every four to six months. Next, using custom fabricated whitening trays fabricated by a cosmetic dentist immediately following your cleaning will help to strengthen the enamel and open up the pores of the teeth.”

“Sofia Vergara is well known for her white smile,” says Houston cosmetic dentist Guy M. Lewis, DDS. “The Hollywood actress has previously stated that she is obsessed with taking care of her teeth and she has cleanings every three months. As a matter of fact, Sofia’s first career choice was to be a dentist! She was only two semesters shy of finishing a dental degree in her native Columbia when she traded dental school for the screen.”  

To get a smile as bright as Vergara’s, Dr. Lewis recommends eating healthy fruits and vegetables such as apples, fruits and carrots. “They act like natural stain-removers by increasing saliva production, which serves as the mouth’s self-cleaning agent.” 

According to New York cosmetic dentist Nargiz Schmidt, DDS, “Most celebrities use professional help when it comes to the shade of their teeth. Impeccable oral hygiene, lucky genetics and healthy eating habits will all help you in achieving the same results. Oral hygiene is not something you do when you have extra time on your hands. It’s a necessary everyday routine. Visiting a medical professional will help you achieve results like Sofia Vergara.”

Powell, OH cosmetic dentist Neal Patel, DDS says Hugh Jackman and Catherine Zeta-Jones are famous for their white smiles. “What draws attention to their smiles is not only the color of their teeth, but the shape, size, symmetry and flow. It’s not just the smile within the mouth, but how it relates to the lips, facial posture and the overall harmony of the face. That harmony brings attraction to both of these actors’ smiles. Fortunately, that’s something we can replicate for a patient. We can look at the patient’s entire face comprehensively and understand exactly what the teeth need to look like to generate that harmony. Each smile is custom-designed to bring out the best of all of their facial features, forming harmony and balance to the esthetics of the face.”

Another smile Dr. Lewis’s patients often want replicated is that of Julia Roberts. “Her teeth fill out her smile and are perfectly proportionate for her face,” he says. “Whitening toothpastes are a necessity for maintaining a white smile, and Opalescence Whitening Toothpaste ($8) and Crest 3D White Toothpaste ($7) are a few that I would recommend.”

“I have always liked Julia Roberts’ smile because you can see 10 to 12 of her upper teeth very visibly,” says Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist Kourosh Maddahi, DDS. “Accomplishing her smile also requires using whitening mouthwash and whitening strips. I always recommend Luminuex Oral Essentials products, since they are peroxide-free and do not cause tooth sensitivity or gum irritation.”

Chicago cosmetic dentist Eliot M. Tokowitz, DDS says there’s a concept called “The Cocktail View,” which describes how your teeth appear to others who are not standing directly in front of you. “They’re waiting to talk to you next, so they’re standing off to the side and they see the side of your smile, not only the front 6 teeth,” he says. “Julia Roberts is the person I frequently reference when explaining this idea to patients—you can see all the way back to her molars!” To achieve a white, wide smile like hers, Dr. Tokowitz makes sure to create an adequate amount of arch expansion with Invisalign so the back teeth are not hidden. “For porcelain veneer treatment, I will recommend creating a seamless smile where people who have a ‘Cocktail View’ will not be able to tell which teeth have veneers and which teeth do not.”

According to San Francisco cosmetic dentist, Swati Agarwal, DDS, Justin Bieber achieved his gorgeous smile with Invisalign. “This is a great option in lieu of traditional braces. He also used teeth whitening to brighten up his pearly whites. His smile is natural and bright.” To whiten your teeth from home, she recommends getting custom whitening trays and professional teeth whitening gel from your dentist’s office. “This is key because using the wrong formulation for your teeth could lead to sensitivity and long-term problems.”

Dr. Agarwal also points out Blake Lively’s bright smile: “She has a naturally beautiful smile that was further enhanced by cosmetic gum reshaping and whitening. I particularly love that there are minor inconsistencies in her smile, making it look natural.” If you have inconsistencies in your teeth that bother you, Dr. Agarwal recommends veneers. “They can fix most shape inconsistencies, minor crowding and they can give you a permanently whiter smile.”

Los Altos, CA cosmetic dentist Joseph Field, DDS says that a lot of his patients come in requesting Halle Berry’s white smile. “When patients come in asking for the exact smile a celebrity has, it’s important for them to know that their smile is unique to their face and lip shape. Whenever I go through my smile design process with my patients, I digitally scan their face and create an ideal smile based on their facial anatomy and their lip positioning. I can take inspiration from anybody, but then I customize it to that patient’s face.”

“Those that were blessed to have good orthodontics and straight, white teeth without having veneers are typically doing a lot of whitening treatments or using at-home over-the-counter (OTC) whitening products,” says Dr. Field. However, he does mention that, like our natural teeth, veneers can stain. “While veneers won’t discolor over time like our teeth can, veneers can stain, especially if they’re constantly exposed to beverages like coffee or wine.”

Penelope Cruz’s white smile makes the actress seem friendly and approachable, not to mention youthful. “The whiter the teeth, the more youthful and attractive your smile will appear,” says Tinley Park, IL cosmetic dentist Zack Zaibak, DDS.

Teeth that are yellow in color may result from stains caused by food and drinks, plaque or even aging itself. “As we get older, the pulp in the center of the teeth recedes and is filled in with dentin, which is darker than enamel so the end result is a darker appearing tooth,” says Atlanta cosmetic dentist Ronald E. Goldstein, DDS.

Jada Pinkett-Smith’s smile is very white, and looks brighter thanks to her deeper skin tone. The increased level of contrast created by dark skin tones makes the teeth appear bright even without bleaching. If you are choosing veneers to correct the shade of your smile, it’s important not to go too white. “Generally we recommend the lightest natural tooth shade and don’t go to the bleaching shades,” says Sarasota, FL cosmetic dentist Jenifer Back, DMD.