# How do actors get the toothless look? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609 "2011-11-30T20:56:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/1 "2011-11-30T20:56:29Z")
Some movie characters have missing teeth. How is this look achieved? I find it hard to believe that a dentist with a conscience would pull an actor’s teeth and then put crowns in after shooting. And I find it hard to believe that an actor would go for that, even when getting paid millions for the role. The only example I can think of is Chris Cooper in _Adaptation_. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/2 "2011-11-30T21:05:47Z")
Well, in the case of The Hangover, the tooth that was missing from Ed Helms’ mouth was a dental implant that had been there for a while. So I believe he had it removed professionally, by a dentist. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/3 "2011-11-30T21:09:33Z")
In many cases, some[tooth black](http://www.pnta.com/makeup/special-effects/black-tooth-color-0-25-oz/) does the job. There are also prosthetics that slip over the real teeth. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/4 "2011-11-30T21:28:23Z")
Yeah, tooth black can be very convincing if applied well. I have to imagine that it’s still the favorite method used in movies today if only because other options are so expensive. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/5 "2011-11-30T21:37:02Z")
I’m sure that tooth black is the most used method. In [this clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y410SQD2mz8) it’s kind of hard to tell, but that doesn’t look like tooth black to me. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/6 "2011-11-30T21:37:17Z")
According to the commentary track of The Human Centipede, the dental work was CGI. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/7 "2011-11-30T23:32:19Z")
Johnny Depp really did chip a tooth for Pirates of the Caribbean. ---
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/8 "2011-12-01T06:17:37Z")
I found Bubbles’ obviously black tooth in HBO’s \*The Wire \*a little distracting. I couldn’t tell if they were going for the missing tooth look, or if it was supposed to be a real, but black tooth as part of his overall bad hygene. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/9 "2011-12-01T17:11:51Z")
I thought Bubbles’ tooth was missing, but my TV isn’t HD, so maybe it was a black tooth If it was, I figured there’d be some pain and he never said anything about a toothache or acted like it pained him. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/10 "2011-12-01T17:21:54Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Well, in the case of The Hangover, the tooth that was missing from Ed Helms’ mouth was a dental implant that had been there for a while. So I believe he had it removed professionally, by a dentist. Jim Carrey’s goofy chipped-tooth look in Dumb And Dumber is likewise natural; he keeps it capped the rest of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/11 "2011-12-01T19:07:36Z")
Plenty of guys like Bubbles have a black tooth or two - I see 'em all the time in real life. Boris Karloff achieved the hollow cheek look in the original \*Frankenstein[//i] by taking out his (fake) teeth. You can tell he isn’t doing that in _Bride of Frankenstein_ (did he get too famous?) which is a shame because that was a very creepy look. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/12 "2011-12-01T21:11:36Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Johnny Depp really did chip a tooth for Pirates of the Caribbean. Intentionally? For that role? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/13 "2011-12-01T21:38:53Z")
The answer for Chris Cooper is prosthesis. It’s very convincing. I can swear I can see his tongue behind his missing incisors. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/14 "2011-12-02T00:00:50Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Intentionally? For that role? I’m recalling that he got a tooth capped in gold for Pirates, because he needed it fixed anyway, and figured having the gold permanently would be amusing. Sadly, all I can google-fu at this time is the following: [Crooked Teeth](http://www.staradvertiser.com/features/20101212_depp_keeps_pirates_teeth_as_disney_eyes_isle_return.html) (news article) regarding his \*prosthetic \* crooked pirate teeth not getting removed promptly after filming. ETA - [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Sparrow) tends to agree with me. Scroll down to the Johnny Depp section - second section. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/15 "2011-12-02T01:25:45Z")
Before all the modern dental techniques of today, plus _Invisalign_, and other orthodontia for grown-ups, actors with less-than-perfect teeth frequently had their teeth capped. For any toothless acting roles, a capped tooth is easily “uncapped” and then put back together once the shooting is finished. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![missinformation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@missinformation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missinformation)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/16 "2011-12-02T03:03:35Z")
They could always do what I did…trip over their own 2 feet and paste their face on the driveway…it is such a nice look, especially with no insurance. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/17 "2011-12-02T04:07:15Z")
> [@missinformation](#): > > They could always do what I did…trip over their own 2 feet and paste their face on the driveway…it is such a nice look, especially with no insurance. ☹ Well, that’s what Walter Brennan did, maybe on the same driveway, and he turned out OK. Maybe think about an exciting moonlighting career in pictshas. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-get-the-toothless-look/604609/18 "2011-12-03T00:17:35Z")
All of the previous posts are utter rubbish. The Big Hollywood studios all employ ex dentists, though with budget cuts, quite often ex boxers, who if the part requiries it ,either extract the offending teeth, or give them a smack in the mouth . I really,really must complain to the mods for people not bothering to Google this fact which is well known to everyone. And to the O.P. ? Shame on you.