Miley Cyrus' Teeth | What We Actually Know About Her Smile

Here's the bit that's actually documented.

In October 2013, Miley appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and talked about her early auditions. E! News reported her saying: "I started auditioning when I was 11 and they told me I was too small, too young and had too few of teeth." She added that the teeth she did have "had big ol' brackets on 'em, so I was really cute."

I love that story. It's a future global pop star, rocking up to auditions with a mouth full of metal, being told she was too small. Plenty of us were that kid.

What it tells us is that Miley had orthodontic treatment as a child. That's it. It doesn't tell us anything about cosmetic work she may or may not have had as an adult. Braces, veneers, whitening and gum treatments are completely different procedures, and evidence for one is not evidence for the others.

If you're a grown-up who's now wondering about braces yourself, I've written about straightening teeth as an adult, and you're in good company: even the royals wore braces.

This is the question everyone wants answered, so I'll be straight with you: I don't know, and neither does anyone else writing about it, unless Miley or her dentist has said so.

Veneers are suggested in a lot of online coverage of her smile. But in the sources I checked, I couldn't find a reliable first-person confirmation from Miley that she has them.

What I did find were articles that admit they don't know, and then describe an exact treatment plan anyway. Number of teeth, material, the works. That's not something you can tell from a photo. A picture can't show what material something is made of, how many teeth were treated, or what's going on underneath the surface.

So I'm not going to tell you Miley has veneers. What I can tell you is what veneers actually are, so you know what everyone's talking about.

The Oral Health Foundation describes a veneer as a thin covering fixed to the front surface of a tooth, usually made from porcelain or tooth-coloured composite. Veneers can help with discolouration that doesn't respond to whitening, chipped or worn teeth, small gaps, and teeth that look uneven or slightly crooked.

Here's the important bit. The OHF explains that a small amount of enamel is usually removed from the front of the tooth so the veneer doesn't feel bulky. Enamel doesn't grow back. That makes veneers a big, long-term decision, whoever you are.

"Before and after" photos of celebrities are everywhere. And to be fair, they're fun to look at. But as a dentist, I'd treat them with a big pinch of salt.

A real clinical before-and-after is taken under controlled conditions: same angle, same lighting, same expression, with the treatment actually known. Celebrity comparisons are usually nothing like that. You might be comparing:

• a relaxed snap from years ago with a close-up under a red-carpet flash
• a closed-mouth smile with a wide, laughing grin
• a teenager's teeth with a thirty-something's teeth
• heavily edited photos with unedited ones

Teeth also change naturally over time. They can darken a little, shift slightly, or wear down at the edges. Lighting can make the same teeth look several shades whiter. So a difference in photos shows that a smile looks different. It doesn't prove veneers, a particular brand, treatment dates or anything else.

I couldn't find any reliable confirmation of that either. A recent photo, or a viral post saying her teeth "look smaller now", isn't enough to establish either.

But there's an important lesson tucked inside this rumour for anyone thinking about veneers themselves.

Replacing a veneer is not the same as going back to your original tooth. The American Dental Association explains that veneer treatment involving enamel removal is irreversible. Veneers can be repaired or replaced over time, but the tooth underneath won't return to how it was before.

So when people say a celebrity "had their veneers removed", what's usually meant is that they had them replaced with a new set. That's exactly what Rylan did with his smaller second set. If you're looking for a treatment that's easier to undo, composite bonding is usually the more reversible option, as Molly-Mae showed when she had hers removed.

No reliable evidence I could find supports that claim either.

It's worth clearing this up, because the internet uses these words as if they're interchangeable. They're not. Veneers are thin coverings on the front of real teeth. Crowns cover a whole tooth (I explained the difference in veneers vs crowns). Dentures are removable replacements for missing teeth.

Talk of a possible veneer doesn't mean someone has lost their natural teeth. That's a pretty big leap from one Instagram comment.

Here's the useful part. A celebrity photo can be a helpful way to explain a look you like. But it can't tell a dentist what's right for your mouth.

Start with what you actually want to change. Is it the colour? The shape of one tooth? Crowding? Something that's uncomfortable? Each of those has a different answer, and it might be whitening, bonding, straightening or veneers.

Then ask your dentist:

• What are my options, including leaving my teeth as they are?
• How much healthy tooth would each option change?
• What maintenance, repairs or replacements might I need over the years?
• What are the risks?
• What will the full treatment cost? (Here's my breakdown of what veneers cost in the UK.)
• Can you show me examples of your own work, shared with patient consent?

The Oral Health Foundation says your dental team should explain your options, talk through the benefits and risks, and give you a clear cost estimate before veneer treatment starts. If any of that is missing, slow down and keep asking.

Did Miley Cyrus have braces? Yes. In a 2013 interview, she said she had braces when she started auditioning at 11.

Does Miley Cyrus have veneers? It's widely claimed online, but I couldn't find any reliable first-person confirmation from Miley.

Can you tell if someone has veneers from a photo? Not reliably. Photos can show a smile looks different, but not what treatment caused it.

Can veneers be removed? Veneers can be replaced, but if enamel was removed to fit them, the tooth can't go back to how it was.

The great Miley Cyrus teeth debate proves one thing: a striking photo and a verified treatment history are two very different things.

What we know is that she had braces as a kid, and turned up to auditions anyway. Everything else is the internet guessing. If you're thinking about changing your own smile, skip the guesswork, book a proper check-up with your own dentist, and ask what's actually right for your teeth.

This article is general information based on public reporting. It is not personal dental advice. I have not examined Miley Cyrus, and she has no connection with this article.