Why Zac Efron's Teeth Look So Different Than They Did When He First Became Famous?
Highlights
- Before starring in High School Musical, Zac Efron's teeth had a noticeable gap that disappeared before filming began. Veneers are likely responsible.
- Efron's face changed unexpectedly in 2013, leading to plastic surgery rumors. However, it was actually due to a serious injury from slipping in his home.
- Efron has faced various health issues, including a near-death experience while filming a show in Papua New Guinea and a series of injuries.
From the moment that the High School Musical movies made Zac Efron famous, it should have been obvious that he is talented. After all, those movies showed that Efron is a talented actor and dancer right from the start. After not singing in the first film, the two sequels also showed how strong his voice can be.
Sadly, for Efron, however, the truth is that some people have believed that Efron owes his success to his good looks. As a result, it is remarkable that Efron's teeth changed so noticeably before he starred in the film that made him a star.
Why Did Zac Efron's Teeth Change?
In 2006, Zac Efron became famous pretty much overnight after High School Musical premiered on The Disney Channel. However, Efron was busy working hard to land roles for years before he finally got the part that made him a star.
As a result of those early roles, Efron's fans can see how he grew over the years and take note of the fact that his teeth changed in a big way. Before Efron became the star he is known as today, he had a gap between his front teeth which disappeared before he began filming High School Musical.
When Efron and Vanessa Hudgens were still dating, she brought up his former tooth gap when she was interviewed by Glamour in 2010. According to Hudgens, she became smitten with Efron after meeting him when he still had the tooth gap.
"Right off the bat, we had a connection. I think everybody could see it. When we had our audition, they paired us together. And he was adorable. I mean, he wasn't the guy that he is today. Like, he had a gap in his teeth."
Hudgens also referred to Efron's former teeth during the same interview when she was discussing how much Efron had changed since they met. "He's just grown-up. He doesn't have his gap anymore. I look at him, and I see a man."
Even though Hudgens was willing to talk about the gap Efron used to have in his teeth, he doesn't seem to have any interest in discussing that topic. As a result, it is impossible to know for sure what changed Efron's teeth.
That said, based on what experts have said, it seems very likely that Efron's tooth gap went away after he got veneers. Websites like Dental Health Society point out that veneers would have gotten rid of Efron's gap in his teeth without surgery. It also is worth noting that veneers would also explain why Efron's teeth look so white.
Why Did Zac Efron's Face Change?
Whenever somebody famous suddenly looks different, virtually everyone assumes one thing, they chose to get plastic surgery. As a result of those kinds of assumptions, stars like Kim Kardashian constantly deny getting plastic surgery since they get asked about that regularly.
In 2013, Zac Efron became the latest star who was the subject of plastic surgery rumors after his face suddenly visibly changed. After years of having a thinner jawline, the lower part of Efron's face suddenly seemed noticeably wider.
Almost a decade later in 2022, Efron spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the rumors and he called the conjecture about his face "funny". Efron also revealed that it was actually a surprising person in his family who is more knowledgeable about the internet who told him about the rumors.
"My mom told me. I don't really read the internet, so, I don’t really give a f**k." While Efron was able to be amused by the rumors, he made it clear during his ET interview that the reason for his changing face was anything but funny. "It sucks. I almost died, but we're good."
Also in 2022, Efron was interviewed by Men's Health magazine for an article about him. In the resulting article, the piece's writer Lauren Larson revealed how Efron injured his face.
On the big screen, Efron's fans have seen him do some truly incredible things. With that in mind, fans likely assumed that Efron was pulling off some kind of incredible stunt when he injured his jaw but that simply isn't the case.
As the Men's Health magazine article revealed, Efron did massive damage to his face while at home. More than that, Efron's facial injury came as a result of the actor doing something that kids all over the world do regularly without hurting themselves at all.
"He also shattered his jaw, he says, though that was not a training injury. He’d been running through his house in socks and slipped, smacking his chin against the granite corner of a fountain."
After Efron smashed his face, the movie star lost consciousness for an unknown amount of time. When Efron came to, he discovered how extensive the damage he'd done to his famous face was. "When he woke up, he recalls, his chin bone was hanging off his face".
According to reports, Efron's jaw had to be wired shut to recover from his jaw injury. Considering that Efron has been very open about having to consume lots of food to maintain his physique, adopting a liquid diet must have been mind-blowing for him.
While talking to the writer for Men's Health magazine, Efron explained why breaking his jaw changed the way his face looked. While some fans may think his jaw must have not healed correctly, that isn't the case at all.
As Larson's Men's Health magazine article explained, the actor's face looks so different because the muscles in his face compensated for his injury.
"When I ask him about this, he tells me that the masseter muscles, used for chewing, work together with the other muscles of the face 'like a symphony'; when he was injured, the muscles on the inside of his face and jaw had to compensate."
Larson's article revealed that Efron was working with a physical therapist trying to limit how much his face would change. However, Efron says he took a break from that process and that decision made a big difference.
"He works with a specialist and does physical therapy to mediate this, he says, but in Australia he took some time off from that, too. 'The masseters just grew,' he says, shrugging. 'They just got really, really big.'"
Zac Efron Has Dealt With Other Health Issues
In an ideal world, Zac Efron would go years without having to cope with health issues after his jaw injury. After all, it is obvious that Efron is very dedicated to being in good shape when you simply look at the actor.
Unfortunately for Efron, however, he has had to cope with a surprisingly long list of health issues over the years. Easily the scariest health problem Efron dealt with came to a head while he was filming his adventure show Killing Zac Efron.
While he was filming in Papua New Guinea, Efron found himself in so much medical danger that he had to be airlifted to a hospital. According to reports, Efron got an infection like Typhoid or something similar and his life was in danger at the time.
Fortunately for Efron, he was able to make a full recovery in the hospital. Furthermore, Efron was even able to get back to shooting Killing Zac Efron which seems like an interesting project to continue working on after a near-death experience.
In the aforementioned Men's Health magazine article about Efron, some of his other health issues were listed. According to what Lauren Larson described in her piece, Efron suffered a rash of injuries in the same year and a half that the accident involving his jaw happened.
"In the span of a year and a half, he tore his ACL, dislocated his shoulder, broke his wrist, and threw out his back."
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