Ben Affleck Says Hollywood Made Him Fix His Teeth Before He Could Save the World

In January 2022, Ben and Matt Damon sat down together for an Entertainment Weekly cover story looking back over their careers. When the conversation turned to Armageddon, the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced, Michael Bay-directed asteroid blockbuster, Ben remembered the pressure to look the part.

As Entertainment Tonight reported, he said: "They made me fix my teeth and work out and be sexy. Be sexy, how do I do that?"

I love that last bit. "Be sexy, how do I do that?" is such a relatable reaction to being told your face needs adjusting before you're allowed to be a leading man.

What he didn't say is what "fix my teeth" involved. It could mean whitening, straightening, bonding, veneers, crowns or a combination. The internet has plenty of opinions, but opinions aren't treatment records. So I'll stick to what's on the record: Ben says his teeth were changed for the film, at the studio's request.

Here's what interests me about this story. It wasn't Ben who decided his teeth needed changing. It was the people making the film.

That's a very Hollywood thing. For decades, there's been an unwritten idea of what a leading man's smile should look like: straight, even, bright and symmetrical. Teeth that photograph cleanly under big lights and look good on a poster.

And to be fair to the film industry, cameras are brutal. Close-ups on a cinema screen make every tiny detail enormous. I understand why studios care.

But it's worth noticing what that means. Ben's smile was, at least in part, shaped by somebody else's idea of what a hero should look like.

This is the bit I want everyone to take away. Most of us aren't being cast in blockbusters. But a lot of people still feel pressure from somewhere else.

It might be a partner who's made a comment. A friend who's just had veneers. A filter that makes your teeth look perfect. Or a TikTok comment section full of strangers deciding your smile needs "fixing".

Here's my view: if you choose to change your smile, that's brilliant. Cosmetic dentistry can make a huge difference to how people feel. But the goals should be yours. Not a casting director's, not a stranger's, and not an algorithm's.

Before any treatment, I'd always want to know:

• What do you want to change, and why?
• Is it something that bothers you day to day, or something someone else has pointed out?
• How do you want to look when you're chatting across a table, not just in a photo?
• How much of your natural tooth are you happy to change?

If the real answer to "why?" is "because someone told me to", it's worth pausing.

"Fix your teeth" sounds like one thing. It's actually lots of different treatments, with very different levels of commitment.

• Teeth whitening lightens the colour of your natural teeth. It doesn't change shape or remove any tooth, and it fades over time.
• Straightening with braces or Invisalign moves your teeth into a better position. Your teeth stay your own. It's never too late as an adult, as Tom Cruise showed at 39.
• Composite bonding adds tooth-coloured resin to change shape, close small gaps or fix chips, usually with little or no drilling.
• Veneers are thin facings fitted to the front of teeth. Many involve removing some enamel first, which can't grow back. The Oral Health Foundation explains that a small amount of enamel is usually removed so the veneer doesn't feel bulky.
• Crowns cover the whole tooth and usually involve more reshaping. I explained the difference in veneers vs crowns.

So when a celebrity says they "fixed" their teeth, it's impossible to know which of these they mean. It's the same reason I couldn't confirm what Miley Cyrus has had done either. Photos aren't treatment plans.

If you do want to change your smile, my advice is almost always to start with the least invasive option that gets you the result you want.

That might mean whitening before anything else, because a lot of people who think they want veneers really just want whiter teeth. It might mean straightening, because a crooked tooth that's moved into line often doesn't need covering at all. Or it might mean bonding a small chip rather than veneering six teeth.

The reason is simple. The less natural tooth you change, the more options you keep for the future. And tastes change. Rylan went for a smaller, more natural set the second time round. Smiles that were fashionable twenty years ago can look dated now.

Whoever you see, these are the questions I'd want you to ask:

• What are all my options, including doing nothing?
• How much of my natural tooth would each option change?
• How long will the results last, and what maintenance will I need? (Veneers don't last forever.)
• What will the full plan cost, including future repairs? (Here's what veneers cost in the UK.)
• Can I see a preview before anything permanent is done?

And whatever you choose, start with a check-up. Healthy teeth and gums come before any cosmetic work.

Did Ben Affleck get his teeth fixed? Yes, by his own account. He said the Armageddon team "made me fix my teeth and work out and be sexy".

Does Ben Affleck have veneers? It hasn't been publicly confirmed. He said his teeth were "fixed" for Armageddon, but not what treatment he had.

Why did Ben Affleck fix his teeth? He said it was part of the push to make him look like a leading man for Armageddon, along with working out.

What does "fixing teeth" mean? It can mean whitening, straightening, bonding, veneers, crowns or a mix. Each is a different treatment with a different level of commitment.

Ben Affleck saved the world in Armageddon. But before he could, Hollywood decided his smile needed a makeover too. Nearly thirty years later, he's at No.1 on Netflix, and he's still the same recognisable Ben.

If you're thinking about changing your own smile, take a leaf out of his story, but flip the script. Make sure the decision is yours, not somebody else's idea of what you should look like. Then pick the gentlest option that gets you there.

This article is general information based on public reporting. It is not personal dental advice. Ben Affleck, Netflix and the makers of Armageddon have no connection with this article.