It’s your worst dental nightmare (well, short of being born British): You spend $10,000-plus on pearly-white laminates, and you end up with a smile that gets noticed -- but for all the wrong reasons. “Sometimes people ask for a smile like Julia Roberts or Gisele,” says Dr. Lana Rozenberg. “It could look great, but it could also be wrong for their face.” The problem is that until recently, all one had to go on was a computer sketch that looked more like the Cheshire cat than any post-op image. But now dentists like Rozenberg are offering Trial Smile, a porcelain facsimile that looks like the real thing and lasts a couple of days. At a cost of $300 to $600, some people are even getting it for a big night out. All the better for sinking your teeth into an Atkins-approved tray of filet mignon.

Related:

• Archive: “Gotham Style”
• Articles by Beth Landman
• From the Jan 6, 2002 issue of New York