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Harry Potter & The Secret Teeth

Harry Potter And The Secret Teeth
Posted on 04/27/2023
This is the image for the news article titled Harry Potter And The Secret TeethWe all know the Harry Potter franchise has a lot of secrets, but here’s one you may not have heard. The cast of the Harry Potter movies, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and others of the child actors were fitted with specially made fake teeth! Here's why: Consider what happens when a child actor loses their baby teeth, especially when they are expected to star in a series of films during a time in their lives when children tend to lose a lot of their teeth? Daniel Radcliffe was just 11 years old when he was cast in Harry Potter in 2000, as was Rupert Grint – while Emma Watson was only ten. Many of the other actors were even younger (with mouths full of baby teeth). To make it even more variable, think of how many child actors in that age group were in the cast at the same time! It would be nearly impossible to keep their teeth looking consistent throughout the filming. 

The answer, as Daniel Radcliffe revealed in a 2019 interview at The Sundance Film Festival, is that molds were made for each of the child actors so that specially-made fake teeth could be fabricated at a moment’s notice any time a baby tooth was lost. 

Here's the explanation, via Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe and his Miracle Workers co-star Karan Soni when Soni was asked what he had learned about the wizarding world from working with Daniel Radcliffe:

Karan Soni: “When they were doing the earlier movies, because their teeth were falling out, they would had a cast made of all their teeth. So that if one fell out, they could have a prop tooth put in. Just so they could keep filming.”

Daniel Radcliffe: “Cause you've got a set full of twenty 10-year-olds, so they would cast everyone's mouths.”

It makes sense, doesn’t it? We fans don't want a close-up of, say, Neville Longbottom smiling, and suddenly you notice young actor Matthew Lewis is missing a tooth that he had in the previous scene.

Hermione Had Two Types of Fake Teeth

Some fans already knew that Emma Watson wore fake teeth as Hermione Granger in one scene of the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, because Hermione is said to have an overbite in J.K. Rowling's books. But director Chris Columbus explained that they stopped having her do that after that one scene, since as he explained, "And I realized that she's never going to be able to perform with these huge fake teeth in her mouth for the rest of the movie. So, if you look closely, you can see some fake teeth." 

It's strange to picture a whole lineup of kids having casts made of their teeth, but they must've kept some dentists busy those years. (Maybe it was Hermione's parents?)

 
Fantastic Teeth And Where To Find Them

Want a Hollywood worthy smile for yourself? See Dr. Daniel Eves and his cast at Tollgate Orthodontics in Rhode Island where you’ll find they are experts at making beautiful, real smiles. If you’re looking for an authentic, straight and healthy smile, we have the magic to make it happen comfortably and affordably. Our consultations are free. Give us a call at 401-739-3900 to reserve your spot today.