Tom Cruise’s Dental Journey — What’s Up With His Middle Tooth?

Tom Cruise has been flashing his classic cocky grin for decades — but have you noticed that it’s misaligned? As Cruise bursts back into the spotlight with Top Gun: Maverick, we’re still wondering about his mysterious “middle tooth.”

A Hockey Accident

Long before Tom Cruise became an ever-bankable action star, he was Steve Randle in The Outsiders. And, amidst a cast full of fresh-faced brat pack hunks, it’s his unique set of chompers that set the young actor apart.

Cruise was injured in a hockey accident when he was young — hit by a flying puck — which left his front tooth chipped. And when filming The Outsiders, he decided to remove the cap that covered the crack. The result was purposefully unattractive, as Cruise meant to emulate his dirt-poor greaser character. And though The Outsiders was Cruise’s third movie, the 1983 film marked the first noticeable showcase for his unique mouth.

Corrective Procedures

As Tom Cruise’s career progressed, it’s clear that he received some orthodontic treatments. In addition to getting the original chip filled in, his teeth were whitened and straightened. Famously, in 2002, the then-40-year-old donned adult braces at the Minority Report premiere. Twenty years on, it may seem shocking; less noticeable options like Invisalign are now quite common. But for the time, Cruise’s bracket-less upper braces were actually a subtle choice.

Still, even after braces, Cruise’s signature smile was not quite perfect. His midline is off, creating the appearance of a so-called “middle tooth.” In the video above, a doctor from Premier Orthodontics breaks it down.

The average person has seven teeth on each side on each of their midline. But if you count Cruise’s teeth, it’s apparent that he’s missing the second pre-molar on his left side. (That would be the third tooth from the back.) Naturally, then, when Cruise lost his baby tooth the teeth around it would slide in toward that space… resulting in a midline that’s shifted roughly half-a-tooth toward the left.

And it’s not so uncommon — roughly 3% of the population has a missing tooth.

But since Tom Cruise is, well, Tom Cruise, the obvious next question is… Why doesn’t he get it fixed? The man has an estimated net worth of $600 million! But those options would require another, a longer period of more intense braces.

Tom Cruise’s Adult Braces

Open-coiled springs are one option. The small springs could be wedged into the braces, around the missing premolar, to slowly open up space for a dental implant to be added. In all, the process would take around two years. And two years as a metal mouth is a lot for a man who’s bringing in hundreds of millions at the box office — at age 59!

Regardless of the alignment of his teeth, or his missing premolar, one thing is for sure: Tom Cruise has the smile of a movie star.

Read More: Tom Cruise Will Become the First Actor to Shoot a Movie in Outer Space