If you go back and watch The Outsiders from 1983, you might notice something jarring. It isn't the 80s greaser hair or the gritty cinematography. It’s Tom Cruise. Specifically, it’s his mouth. Before he was the high-flying, stunt-doing, billionaire face of the Mission: Impossible franchise, his smile was, well, a work in progress.
Honestly, it’s one of the most famous dental transformations in history.
Tom cruise teeth young weren't the blindingly white, perfectly symmetrical veneers we see on every IMAX screen today. They were crooked. They were discolored. And most famously, they were totally out of alignment with the center of his face.
The Hockey Puck Incident and The Outsiders
A lot of people think Tom's "bad" teeth in his first few movies were just a choice for the character. It’s a half-truth. While filming The Outsiders, Cruise actually volunteered to remove a cap from his front tooth. He’d originally chipped that tooth as a teenager when a hockey puck hit him in the face during a game.
He wanted his character, Steve Randle, to look tough. Taking off that cap revealed a jagged, darkened tooth that looked like it had seen its fair share of street fights.
But even with the cap on, things weren't exactly "Hollywood."
Early photos from his Taps (1981) and Risky Business (1983) days show a young man with significant crowding. His upper teeth were jammed together, and they had a natural, yellowish tint that was common before professional whitening became a standard Tuesday afternoon ritual for celebrities.
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The Mystery of the "Middle Tooth"
If you want to win a bar bet, ask someone which of Tom Cruise's teeth is the most famous. Most will say "the middle one."
Take a look at any high-res photo of Tom smiling today. If you draw an imaginary line straight down the center of his nose, it doesn’t land between his two front teeth like it’s supposed to. Instead, that line lands almost directly in the middle of his right upper incisor.
This is what dentists call a "midline deviation."
Basically, his entire upper row of teeth is shifted to the left. Why? It likely stems from that childhood injury or perhaps a missing tooth on one side that caused the rest of the pack to migrate over the years. Even with all the millions spent on his mouth, that midline remains off. It’s a quirk of his anatomy that even the best Beverly Hills surgeons couldn't (or chose not to) fully "fix."
When Did the Big Change Happen?
The shift from "regular guy teeth" to "action star teeth" didn't happen overnight. It was a decades-long project.
By the time Top Gun rolled around in 1986, things were looking better. He’d clearly had some whitening done and likely some better-fitting crowns or bonding to cover the chips. But the real "holy cow" moment came much later, in 2002.
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Cruise showed up to the premiere of Minority Report wearing braces.
He was 40 years old.
Think about that. One of the biggest stars on the planet, at the height of his fame, walking the red carpet with clear ceramic brackets on his teeth. He wasn't hiding it. He reportedly got them to help with his bite and to try and pull that wandering midline back toward the center.
The Modern "Mega-Watt" Look
After the braces came off, the veneers went on.
While Cruise has never sat down for an interview to list his dental receipts, experts like Dr. Rodney Raanan and other celebrity cosmetic dentists point to the uniform shape, size, and "ultra-white" shade as clear evidence of porcelain veneers.
They’re perfect. Maybe too perfect for some critics.
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In his younger years, his smile had character—a sort of rugged, relatable imperfection. Today, his teeth are a feat of engineering. They are designed to catch the light perfectly during a night shoot in London or a high-speed chase in the desert.
Why It Actually Matters
It’s easy to dismiss this as just another celeb obsession with vanity. But Tom Cruise’s dental journey actually changed how a lot of people view adult orthodontics.
When he wore those braces at 40, it gave a "permission slip" to millions of regular people who felt they were "too old" to fix their smiles. He showed that even if you’re a global icon, you can still be a work in progress.
Actionable Insights for Your Own Smile
If you’re looking at old photos of Tom and thinking your own teeth need a "Top Gun" upgrade, here’s what you can actually do:
- Check your midline: If your teeth are off-center like Tom's, an orthodontist can tell you if it's a skeletal issue or just a tooth-spacing issue.
- Don't fear adult braces: Clear aligners (like Invisalign) or ceramic braces (like Tom had) make the process way less "middle school" than it used to be.
- Whitening is the easiest win: Most of the "drastic" change in Cruise's early career was simply moving from yellow-toned teeth to a bright white.
- Veneers are a "last resort": They look great, but they require shaving down your natural teeth. Most people find that simple alignment and whitening get them 90% of the way there.
Tom Cruise's teeth might have started out as a mess of hockey injuries and misalignment, but they’ve become a symbol of how much you can change with a bit of time and a lot of professional help. Just don't expect that middle tooth to ever find its way back to the center.
Next Steps for You
Take a close look at your smile in a mirror with a straight vertical line (like a door frame) behind your head to check your own midline alignment. If you notice a significant shift or if childhood injuries are still affecting your confidence, schedule a consultation with a cosmetic dentist to discuss whether bonding or alignment is a better first step than jumped-into-the-deep-end veneers.