White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood warned fans against attempting do-it-yourself teeth filing as people celebrate her unique look. Bucking typical Hollywood dental standards, Wood has kept her prominent front teeth as they are and still found success, starting with Sex Education. She’s been speaking on how amazing it is to get so much praise for her natural teeth but worries about viewers trying to imitate them.
For years, DIY teeth filing videos have appeared on TikTok. This trend often tops lists of DIY dental procedures that professionals warn against, as the practice can damage teeth and create multiple expensive problems in the future.
Aimee Lou Wood reflects on her teeth
Wood spoke on The Jonathan Ross Show on March 23, 2025, gushing about the public reaction to her teeth. Her peers may have bullied her about them in the past, but today fans adore the unique look.
@itsyourlittyfriend Aimee Lou Wood’s teeth are famous #thewhitelotus #aimeelouwood #teeth #famous #jonathanross ♬ original sound – Litty!
“I mean, I can’t believe the impact my teeth are having,” she said. “Because the Americans can’t believe [my teeth], but they’re all being lovely.”
She talked about all the Instagram videos by orthodontists going over what’s technically “wrong” with her teeth, but ending them by saying that she shouldn’t change a thing.
@veneercheck Replying to @MariaR #greenscreen #aimeelouwood #whitelotus #veneercheck ♬ original sound – Dr. Sara
“A real full-circle moment after being bullied for my teeth forever, now people are clapping in an audience because I’ve got these dashes,” she added, referring to her tooth gaps.
Unfortunately, the fervor around her teeth has led young fans to try and shape their own to look more like her. Those who can’t afford cosmetic dental procedures, which can easily cost thousands of dollars, sometimes resort to using nail files on their chompers.
Wood says not to do that, guys.
“I hope that people don’t start filing their teeth so they have gaps,” she remarked.
That particular trend is back on TikTok in 2025, as it has been throughout the 2020s. Hundreds of videos appear under the search “filing down teeth at home” on TikTok, while the hashtags #teethfiling and #teethfile pop up on over 130 videos, according to Screenshot Media.
@iman_rdh Is filing your teeth safe? @acerendulicc #dentist #teeth #filingdown #duet ♬ original sound – Iman
The risk of DIY teeth filing
The problem with attempting to shape your teeth with a nail file is that you’ll also scrape away layers of natural enamel that protect them from decay. Wearing away enamel is also how you make teeth so sensitive that it can be hard to eat and drink.
Warnings against this DIY trend plaguing TikTok have been going around since at least 2020. That year, The Washington Post spoke with Detroit dentist Zainab Mackie on why you should never do this to yourself.
“When you file your nails, your nails grow back, but your teeth don’t,” she said. “That outer enamel layer doesn’t grow back. . . . Once it’s gone, that’s it.”
In 2023, the University of Pennsylvania’s dental college warned against this TikTok trend again. Even its students could easily tell you why attempting to shape your teeth with a nail file is folly. In 2024, Newsweek put tooth filing at the top of their list of dental DIY don’ts.
“Unlike nails, teeth do not regenerate, and filing them yourself can diminish your enamel, causing irreparable damage,” explained Dr. Smita Mehra. “It also leaves the sensitive dentin layer below unprotected, which is not meant to be exposed. This can make you susceptible to tooth decay later down the line.”
“It can also misalign your teeth,” she added. “This is because using a nail file will change the shape and size of your teeth, which can cause problems with chewing your food properly and speaking.”
The Hollywood smile
Hollywood has long played a substantial role in shaping conventional beauty standards around the world. Fans modeling themselves after stars have dieted, put chemicals in their hair, and spent hoards of money on makeup and clothes. But without perfect teeth, your dreams of making it on screen are even further out of reach than usual.
Occasional variations like gaps have been tolerated, but the ideal Hollywood smile has put money in pockets for many decades via braces, veneers, whitening programs, and even surgeries.
Pursuing perfect teeth can cost more money than some Americans make in a year. A yellow and uneven smile has therefore become a mark of poverty.
“Even among American adults with private health insurance, only half have dental coverage for basic oral hygiene appointments; in a recent survey, one-third of Americans had not seen a dentist in the past year,” wrote Brennan Kilbane in a report on the history of dental beauty standards for Allure in 2020.
“It’s not always easy to tell who those Americans are, until the moment they open their mouth, and then it becomes very easy.”
Accepting and celebrating different smiles could save families thousands. Unfortunately, some are instead trying to artificially shape their own dental quirks to imitate celebrities like Wood. Still, at least those who already look like her are feeling better about themselves.
“I’m getting hundreds of messages from people going, ‘Oh my god, you’ve got teeth like mine. Now I go to school and people think I’m cool because I look like Aimee,’” Wood said in a 2020 interview with Stylist.
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