Like Aimee Lou Wood, I Learnt to Love My “Rebellious” Teeth

Image Source: Getty Images / Steve Granitz

Aimee Lou Wood is everywhere right now. Whether you first discovered her in Netflix’s Sex Education, caught her in Toxic Town, or are currently tuning into the third season of The White Lotus, the British star is undeniably having a moment. As her career skyrockets, there’s one topic that keeps stealing the spotlight: her teeth.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Aimee addressed the growing wave of online scrutiny since appearing on The White Lotus. Being introduced to a new audience, and bringing her British sensibilities to an American production, has seen her gain confidence in her own opinions and appearance. “All I ever do is take the piss out of myself. Even the way [White Lotus fans] are talking about me and my teeth – that I don’t have veneers or Botox – it feels a bit rebellious,” she said.

Users on social media have been quick to point out Aimee’s smile, with some less than kind comments. While embracing her natural face and teeth shouldn’t feel like an act of defiance, in a world of seemingly perfect veneered teeth, it appears it might be.

And I know exactly how it feels to have your smile reduced to a punchline. I have two protruding front teeth and have been called “Bugs Bunny”, “Goofy”, and even “buck teeth”, all because they don’t sit neatly in line with the rest. For years, I was embarrassed to smile and would often hear, “Show your teeth!” as if I wasn’t doing it right.

And it seems we’re a nation suffering a teeth confidence crisis. According to a 2022 Simplyhealth survey, 23% of UK adults avoid showing their teeth when they smile due to feeling self-conscious.

For me, these insecurities began in Primary School – standing out for the wrong reasons is never fun. Whenever a teeth-related insult came my way, I’d get upset, cry to my parents, and beg them to “get me new teeth.” From the age of 11, I wore a retainer for a couple of years, enduring weekly adjustments to pull my teeth back in place, which was painful. Then, at 13, my orthodontist suggested train tracks, those braces that sit front and centre on each tooth.

Despite thinking for years they would be the answer to my protruding teeth, I turned them down. By then, I had begun to embrace my smile, proudly telling the dentist that it made me “unique”, and didn’t want to spend months with more painful metal in my mouth. It was also the Noughties, and I had begun to be inspired by icons like Lara Stone, Madonna, and Shania Twain – all rocking their gap teeth.

Pop culture is what influenced Aimee to embrace her smile, too. In a recent Instagram video, she said: “A big thing for me growing up was my mouth. It was the thing that everyone pointed out and it was the thing that made me different. And I’ve never seen an actress on TV with teeth like mine. When Georgia Jagger did the ‘Get the London Look’ and she had the gap teeth, that was a huge moment. I then thought, ‘I am going to put red lipstick on and I am going to draw attention to it’.”

Image Source: Siobhan O’Connor

Yet the individualism of yesteryear appears to have been replaced by clones in modern pop culture. Enter, the “Love Island smile”. It’s hard to watch reality TV – both in the US and UK – without seeing big, gleaming white veneers taking centre stage. In fact, the global dental veneers market was valued at £1.75 billion at the end of 2022, with revenue expected to double by 2031, according to Grand View Research. While a 2023 survey by RealSelf also found that 43% of Brits want to improve their teeth with veneers.

I’ve had dates tell me my smile is “interesting” and even ask if my two front teeth “get in the way” – sorry, what? Dentists have even encouraged me to get braces again in my late twenties. Yet, I’m happy with my teeth – so why aren’t they?

Covid was a turning point for teeth-attention, with a staggering 313% rise in appointments for full porcelain veneers. “We noticed the first surge in demand post-lockdown,” Dr. Sam Jethwa, a cosmetic dentist and founder of Bespoke Smile, tells PS UK. “People were spending a lot of time on Zoom calls, paying more attention to their teeth than they normally would. That being said, there is now a growing demand for natural looking smiles.”

As Aimee’s star continues to shine, I’d love to see more of us embrace the individual quirks that make us who we are. After all, bunnies are cute, right?

Siobhan O’Connor is a contributor at PS UK. With 10 years of industry experience as a journalist, copywriter, and marketing manager, she has worked predominantly across fashion, beauty, and women’s lifestyle projects. Her work has appeared in Fabulous, Grazia Australia, Hello Magazine and The Sun and she has managed content and marketing campaigns for top beauty companies, shaping brand storytelling.