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David Bowie was undoubtedly a major fig- ure in popular music in the 1970s and 1980s. He is also one of the many celebrities who have undergone cosmetic dental treatment and had his characteristically crooked teeth replaced with a set of crowns in the early 1990s. Inspired by Bowie’s unique original look, Jessine Hein, a German painter and sculptor,madeareproductionofthesinger’s natural teeth. Dental Tribune had the oppor- tunity to speak with Hein about her denture sculpture and her perception of beautiful teeth. DentalTribune: Ms Hein,how did you come up with the idea of recreating David Bowie’s teeth? JessineHein:Bowie’steethwerelikeevery- thing else about him: different! Not the aes- thetic norm, not perfect, but they were strik- ingly beautiful in the context of his whimsi- cal and miraculous being. His smile revealed an imperfection that made him seem more real, more human, someone to identify with even. An imperfection worn confidentially in- spires sympathy. Bowie was a role model for many people and I think his teeth con- tributed to that. The vast variety of talents, iconic style and incomparable physique that make up Bowie, and the different universes he created around himself, have always im- pressed and inspired me. I have been incred- ibly fascinated with teeth for a long time and have paid close attention to the ivories of those I admire. Therefore, I was very con- scious about the loss of the Ziggy Stardust choppers. Teeth are an integral part of interhuman communication. They are inevitably in- volvedinlaughing,talking,screamingandof course singing. Bowie sang to us through his crooked gaps and it was enchanting! So the ideaforthesculptureevolvedwhileIwasnos- talgically longing back to Bowie’s old teeth. Have you done any other artistic projects re- lated to dentistry that inspired you to create a denture sculpture? In the past, I have done small projects at a dentallaboratory,suchasatoothpendantfor my necklace, which I have worn ever since and never taken off, as well as another sculp- ture: Tooth Nuckles. With the knowledge ac- quiredduringthoseprojects,Igainedanidea of how I could actually construct this replica. In your opinion,what drove David Bowie,who was celebrated as a nerd, to have his crooked teeth made into a“perfect”Hollywood smile? I find it noteworthy that a pioneer of indi- vidualism, the archetype of “acting out one- self”, decided to “normalise” his mouth. It seemed paradoxical. However, the dental change was parallel to a change in his image and music. It accompanied his development and I assume that was not pure accident, ow- ing to the Hollywood set of teeth that was chosen rather than recreating a natural look when medical intervention was needed. I cannot imagine that a person like David Bowie willingly left the interior design of his mouth to someone else, so I interpret the pearly whites he got as a bold statement that signalledanewchapterinhiscareer—maybe a comment on the beauty obsession of our society: “You want regulated perfection? Here you have it!”. The transformation was part of his development from alien hero of the heart to world star. My sculpture intends tounderlinethis,aswellaspayhomagetothe eras of the crooked-toothed miracle who fell to earth once upon a time. CouldyoubelievethatBowiewasnotsatisfied withhisteethandunderwentcosmeticdental treatment for that reason? Perhaps, his crooked teeth were a source of suffering,as is the case with many other people. I do understand how orthodontics can improve one’s self-confidence, as I went through years of tooth alignment myself in my teens. There are four teeth missing in my maxillae. Besides having had trouble chew- ing properly, I looked like a freakish vampire. Itwasnotveryhelpfultohaveanodd-looking set of teeth in this awkward phase of adoles- cence. Back then, I did not appreciate the beauty in the difference because I was too concernedwithtryingdesperatelytosurvive as a shy teenager at school. Today, however, I celebrate teeth that are not the norm. I love the diversity and charac- ter they bring to the human head. I find it quite sad that these days almost every child undergoes some kind of dental treatment to align his or her differences solely for aes- thetic reasons. Some of them might grow up wishingtheystillhadtheircharacteristicnat- ural look. I have heard Bowie talk about his old teeth inaconfidentway.Hestatedtheylookedfine to him. So, no, I do not think he felt uncom- fortable about them at the time, quite the opposite; he was famous for celebrating his striking body in all its otherworldliness. What do you intend to do with the sculpture? Have you been approached by collectors and fans of the singer who would like to purchase it? Thesculptureiscurrentlywithmeandwill beuntilanopportunityforexhibitingcomes up. I have various kinds of sculpture and paintingprojectsinthemakingthatwillneed some more time to develop. Once they are completed, I envision the David Bowie den- tures being presented in the context of the new pieces. I have been contacted by several potential buyers, but the sculpture is not currently for sale, as I would like to have the option of put- ting it on display. Thank you very much for this interview. 31Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 1/2015 OFF-TIME “Bowie’s teeth were like everything else about him: different” An interview with German tooth artist Jessine Hein Hein’s hand-sculpted recreation of David Bowie's natural teeth. “...the idea for the sculpture evolved while I was nostalgically longing backto Bowie’s old teeth.” The artist herself wearing a tooth mask. A photo from 2007 showing Bowie with his new smile.(Photo Everett Collection) © Jessine Hein DTUK0115_31_Hein 09.04.15 15:40 Seite 31 DTUK0115_31_Hein 09.04.1515:40 Seite 31