Tara Reid is feeling “like a whole different person” after getting a smile makeover — which she has been wanting for years.
“When I was younger as a kid, I lived in New Jersey and my parents had a boat in the marina and in the marina we had this gym. There was a lot of amenities, and I used to work out all the time,” Reid, 48, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, October 3, recalling how she “put a metal plate” from one of the machines over her face because a boy at the gym thought it would be funny.
The “bad” accident occurred when Reid was around 12 years old, and she tried a few different solutions before her recent procedure. “We had the veneers around it, but they never fit right,” she explained. “They never looked right and they made me insecure a lot.”
Several years later, Reid finally found the right treatment thanks to Dr. Charles Glaser of Apa Aesthetic Los Angeles. She had 10 hand-layered porcelain veneers placed on both her upper and lower teeth to help improve jaw function and correct misaligned teeth while restoring her smile and aiding oral health.
“You’re never fully dressed without a smile, so I feel great,” she gushed to Us. “I feel younger. I feel better.”
Reid explained that she doesn’t regret her choice to get the procedure done later in life, saying that it “fell [into] the right hands” when she connected with Apa Aesthetic.
“At the end of the day, I think the most powerful thing you could possibly do is smile. When I see someone smile, it makes me glow, so [I’m glad] I got the opportunity to work with them, especially Dr. Charlie over here,” she shared. “I’m still having the best experience with them. … They care. They’re just amazing people.”
It didn’t take long for Reid to notice a shift in her confidence following her procedure — and even her friends have seen the difference.
“Last night, it was my friend’s birthday, so I went out to see them. Everyone — they didn’t know I got my teeth done — and they’re like, ‘Tara, you look so good. Did you do something?’” she shared with Us. “I’m like, ‘I got my teeth done!’ and everyone goes, ‘Wow!’ … Not one person I was around didn’t notice and it made me feel special. … I can’t stop smiling. I’m really happy.”
Reid explained that there’s a new “energy” she has when she smiles now that feels like “everything” to her.
“You have no idea what a smile can make you feel like. … That’s kind of my personality, and now I feel like I could take it out even more, which is fun,” she said.
The decision was one made completely for herself. “The only one that’s looking at themselves in the mirror every day is really you, and if you’re not satisfied with the way you look, it doesn’t matter what anyone else sees,” she continued. “You have to be satisfied [with] yourself, and that’s what gives you confidence.”
Post-makeover, Reid is planning to focus more on acting, including one project that centers around mental health — which Reid feels a “bit different” about.
“I take all the serious situations in my life … [and] kind of keep [it] in storage. When I tap into it … I can pull it out completely,” she explained to Us. “When I’m working, I’m acting, I’m challenging so many different things and it’s my release.”
Reid can relate to the toll of insecurities and criticism on mental health, but there wasn’t “necessarily” one person she turned to for advice before gaining back her confidence with her new smile.
“Sometimes you don’t really want to lean on the person because you don’t really know where they’re going,” she explained. “You can’t trust everyone, but to be honest with you, I have fun conversations with my dogs, Beso and Bella. … My dogs are the best.”
There are a few fellow actors who have always been in her corner, however. “I would say Rachel Leigh Cook. She’s an awesome friend to me,” she told Us. “And Rosario Dawson. Like, everyone from Josie and the Pussycats. We always stayed really tight.”
With reporting by Lanae Brody
