Honestly, if you were scrolling through X (formerly Twitter) back in March 2024, you probably did a double-take. There was South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, not talking about policy or cattle or the border, but staring into a camera for nearly five minutes gushing about her dentists. It was weird. The video felt like a late-night infomercial, and it sent the internet into a frenzy of "wait, what did she look like before?"
People started digging through old C-SPAN footage and campaign photos. They wanted to see the Kristi Noem before new teeth era.
What they found wasn't some dramatic "before" picture from a horror movie. In fact, most people thought her original smile was perfectly fine. But for a politician who was, at the time, very much in the running to be Donald Trump’s VP pick, "perfectly fine" apparently wasn't enough. Noem herself admitted in the video that she had been self-conscious for years.
The Biking Accident and the "Old" Smile
The backstory she gave for the overhaul was a biking accident that happened years ago when her kids were small. According to Noem, she knocked out her front teeth. If you look at photos from her early days in the South Dakota House or her first term in Congress, you can see what she’s talking about if you squint.
Her teeth were a bit more natural. They had character.
There was a slight unevenness in the front, and they weren't that blinding, "Hollywood white" that you see on every news anchor these days. They looked like regular person teeth. But Noem described the situation as a constant distraction. She claimed that in a career built on public speaking, interviews, and being on camera, she felt her smile was holding her back.
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What changed exactly?
If you compare the shots from 2022 to the viral 2024 video, the differences are pretty technical:
- Whiteness: The new set is significantly brighter. Like, "don't look directly at them without sunglasses" bright.
- Uniformity: Her original teeth had slightly different lengths and a more rounded shape. The new ones are perfectly squared off and symmetrical.
- Fullness: The "Smile Texas" work gave her what dentists call a "broader" smile. It fills out the corners of her mouth more than the original teeth did.
The Smile Texas Controversy
The real reason Kristi Noem before new teeth became a trending topic wasn't just about vanity. It was about the law. Or at least, potential ethics violations.
Noem didn't just get her teeth done; she filmed a testimonial at the Smile Texas office in Sugar Land. In the video, she says, "I love my new family at Smile Texas." She praises Dr. Bret Davis and Dr. Mackenzi McAfee-Dooley by name.
This immediately raised red flags for consumer advocacy groups. A group called Travelers United actually filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., claiming Noem acted as an undisclosed "influencer."
The logic was simple: Why would a sitting Governor of South Dakota fly 1,000 miles to Texas for dental work and then film a high-quality promotional video for free? The lawsuit basically alleged that she either got the work for free or at a massive discount in exchange for the "ad," which she didn't label as an advertisement.
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Why South Dakotans Were Baffled
It wasn't just the ethics of the ad that annoyed people. It was the geography. South Dakota has plenty of dentists. In fact, the South Dakota Dental Association has a "find a dentist" tool right on their homepage.
For a governor who campaigned on "South Dakota first" and spent millions on the "Freedom Works Here" ad campaign to attract workers to her state, going to Texas for a "smile makeover" felt like a slap in the face to local businesses.
State Senator Reynold Nesiba, a Democrat, was one of the first to call it "strange." He pushed for an investigation into whether state resources—like the state-owned airplane—were used for the dental trips.
The Political "Glow Up"
Politics is a visual game. You've probably noticed it before—politicians get a little more polished the closer they get to the national stage. Better suits, better hair, and almost always, better teeth.
For Noem, the 2024 dental work was part of a larger transformation. She was lean, tan, and "camera-ready" in a way that fit the aesthetic of the modern Republican party. She even noted in the video that first impressions are everything.
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But there’s a risk there. When you change your face too much, you risk losing that "relatable rancher" vibe that made you popular in the first place. Some critics argued that by ditching the Kristi Noem before new teeth look, she traded her authentic South Dakota roots for a generic "influencer" aesthetic.
Actionable Insights: What to Know About "Smile Makeovers"
If you’re looking at Noem’s transformation and thinking about your own dental work, here are a few things to keep in mind based on this saga:
- Veneers are Permanent: Once you shave down your natural teeth for veneers, there’s no going back. It’s a lifelong commitment to maintenance.
- Location Matters for Liability: If you are a public official or a high-profile professional, endorsing a product can lead to massive legal headaches if you don't disclose the relationship.
- The "Natural" Look is Harder: Most cosmetic dentists will tell you that making teeth look "perfect" is easy. Making them look "naturally better" (the way Noem's were before the final 2024 update) takes way more skill.
- Ethics Check: If you’re a business owner, be careful with "influencer" testimonials from public figures. The Travelers United lawsuit shows that the FTC and consumer groups are watching closely in 2026.
The Kristi Noem before new teeth era represents a time when her public image was more about the farm and less about the "audition" for national office. Whether the new smile helped her political career or just created a distraction is still a topic of debate in Pierre.
If you're researching this for your own dental journey, prioritize looking at "before and after" galleries that show a range of natural results, rather than just the brightest white available. Total symmetry isn't always the goal for a smile that looks authentic.