Tom Cruise – Asymmetrical Smile

Toms’ smile is a favorite among dentists. Toms’ smile has been brought up in numerous dental continuing education classes that I have attended. Midline Discrepancy is how they describe the problem.  If you look closely, you can see how he has an asymmetric smile.  Word is that Tom has a missing upper bicuspid, #12 (it would be on his left side).  This probably was done in an attempt to deal with a slight crowding problem.  Once the tooth was removed, all the other teeth shifted into the missing gap. Generally it is better to extract the same tooth on the opposite side and then use orthodontics to align the teeth.  You wonder if  this was done because orthodontics was not an option financially. From what I have heard, this is a “smile” problem that has plagued Tom Cruise though the years, not an easy fix. One question I still have, was it the bicuspid (#12) that was removed or the canine #11? OK, enough dental geek talk, favorite Tom Cruise movie? Top Gun.  Favorite quotable line, “I feel the need . . . need for speed!!!” A shout out to Tom Cruise for a remarkable career.