TOOTH AND NAIL

Woman Says On-Camera Makeover Left Her in Agonizing Pain

She recalled the experience as “brutal.”

Women claim a reality show subjected them to agonizing teeth makeovers that left them with dental issues.

Former contestants on Fox’s ultra-popular makeover reality show, The Swan, are sharing their behind-the-scenes experiences in Hulu’s new The Swan: Behind the Mirror.

The new documentary, created by Emmy-nominated director Erin Lee Carr, dives into the sometimes brutal experiences that women dubbed “ugly ducklings” underwent to become “swans” on the competition show, which aired for two seasons in 2004.

In search of perfection, the women dieted, exercised, and underwent extensive plastic surgeries, all for free, as long as they committed to staying in the program for 90 days.

In addition, they underwent teeth transformations performed by former celebrity cosmetic dentist Sherri Worth.

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UGLY TRUTH

Woman Says TV Plastic Surgery Makeover Almost Killed Her

Tamilore Oshikanlu

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“I think everyone had to get veneers,” Jenna Baker, a former producer on the show, said. “Because it’s the fastest way to give them a perfect smile.”

“I don’t think everyone needed veneers. I mean, that’s a pretty extreme thing to do,” she admitted, saying that the women had “very, very little” say in procedures they would undergo.

Amy Williams, a contestant from the show’s second season, had one of the most extreme teeth makeovers.

“I didn’t know that I was gonna be the Swan that had the most work done,” she said. “I definitely needed some dental work, but not as much as they gave me. They took out all my fillings, took all the crowns and stuff out. They ground my teeth down for the veneers.”

In the show, the host said that Williams’ “biggest challenge will be at the dentist. She’ll have extensive tooth reconstruction, 10 root canals, laser bone and gum surgery, and DaVinci veneers.”

In addition to a teeth makeover, she underwent extensive plastic surgery: “The jaw implants were the worst pain I ever felt. I couldn’t drink anything from a straw, so I had to puree it and pretty much pour it into my mouth. It was brutal.”

Sisters Kari and Gina Bravata also participated in the show’s second season and underwent teeth makeovers.

“[My teeth] were ground down so tiny, it’s just this little white, like, piece of tooth that sticks out,” Kari said, adding, “The temporary teeth that we had fell out constantly.”

In an interview with TV Insider, Kari said, “We’ve both had problems with our teeth. I don’t know if there’s any of the Swans that haven’t. They were not done properly.”

She added, “So the teeth would be the number one problem that we’ve had for the last 20 years.”

“We’ve all had extreme leftover problems from what Dr. Worth did to our teeth,” Gina said in the documentary. “And let’s face it, she’s no longer practicing for a reason.”

In 2017, Worth surrendered her California dental license after the Dental Board of California filed a complaint against her and suspended it.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the complaint was filed after six patients accused Worth of “acts of negligence, fraud, incompetence, overdiagnosis and excessive treatment.”

Season 1 contestant, former Army soldier Kristy Garza, who also received DaVinci veneers, said, “I’ve had to have a bunch of teeth pulled. My gum tissue is destroyed.”

She told USA Today on Tuesday about the health issues that followed her after the show.

Garza revealed that six of her teeth had rotted under her veneers and crowns. She spent thousands of dollars fixing the dental issues that followed her after the show, including having the six teeth pulled.

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WHAT'S NEXT?

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Roosa Rahkonen

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Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

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