In 2015, Kylie Jenner was 18 years old and already one of the most photographed people on the planet. That fall, photos began circulating of a noticeably different smile. Brighter. More symmetrical. The kind of smile you'd spend years working toward, achieved seemingly overnight. Dental professionals and fans alike immediately understood what had happened: porcelain veneers. And not just any veneers. A full cosmetic transformation, designed for a face that would appear on magazine covers, red carpets, and phone screens at every size and resolution imaginable.
What most people don't think about is what it means to undergo that level of cosmetic dental work at 18. Or what it takes to maintain it. Or what choices, compromises, and considerations go into designing a smile for someone so young, so visible, and so defined by their appearance?
