EXTRA: Rxtra

Monday December 11, 2000

Mouth Replica

Ready for the secret behind some of the best smiles in show business? EXTRA sets you straight on the dentist who's helping Hollywood show its pearly whites in today's RXtra.

To Magic Johnson, Ann-Margret, and other stars he's the Di Vinci of dentistry, the Michaelangelo of mouths. And why not? Dr. Laurence Rifkin is a cosmetic dentist and a trained artist. He's responsible for sculpting some of the most picture-perfect smiles in Hollywood.

He says, "My job is to create something that doesn't look like I was there at all."

Rifkin considers his dental office a studio as well. He brings an artists eye to each new smile he creates. No garden-variety veneers here. When making new teeth he looks at the whole face not just the mouth. Facial balance and harmony are his trademark. He explains, "We want more than straight white teeth. We want them to look fresh and rejuvenated and natural and believable."

That's exactly the kind of smile Barbara Sherwood always wanted. Her mouth made her so miserable, she paid a visit to Dr. Rifkin. She told him, "I would like to do something to brighten my smile and look like a happier person."

Her tooth trouble? Dr. Rifkin tells us, "Barbara's teeth are tipped backwards therefore dark. They are short and worn, there are uneven edges and they need to be balanced and lengthened. She does have a thinner upper lip. It could stand to have a little bit more support."

The transformation begins with a computer image of her new smile.

Barbara: That's what I'm most self-conscious about is the angle of them and that looks much better.

Dr. Rifkin: It's a normal position, you're teeth have just been tilted backward.

Next, an impression is made.

Dr. Rifkin: We'll have a beautiful impression of your upper and lower lip, the chin area and all the facial references that the laboratory needs.

A 3D model is used to help Dr. Rifkin and ceramist Daniel Materdomini accurately design the perfect teeth for Barb's face. After previewing her permanent teeth and choosing the color, each new tooth is shined, textured and colored to perfection. Bonding each new tooth takes just a few minutes. Finally, Barb will get the smile she's always wanted.

Barbara: Oh my God, they look beautiful. They look real.

Check it out! Barbara's got a wider, brighter, straighter smile! By creating thicker, longer teeth her smile is brighter and her lips more lucious.

Barbara says, "When I used to look in the mirror I never looked at my mouth because I was embarrassed. I'm so excited about having a bright smile and an upper lip."

Here's the EXTRA info... It'll take three appointments and between five and twenty hours in the dentist's chair, depending how many teeth you have done. And for veneers like Barb had, you'll pay about $1500 - $2000 dollars a tooth.