We Love Britney Spears, but What Happened to Her Perfect Smile?

Despite all of the adversities that Britney Spears has faced over the last 20 years, the "Toxic" singer is still — without question — one of the most talented performers of our generation. Between historic dance moves (specifically from her "Oops I Did It Again" era), an endless library of chart-topping 2000's pop songs, and some of the most iconic ~lewks~ of our generation, she's a total legend in every sense of the word.

Fans, however, have only recently noticed that Britney Spears has a gap tooth — what happened, and why did it only just become noticeable? Here's what we know regarding Britney Spears's dental health.

Ever since Britney rose to fame in the late '90s, two of her most iconic physical features included her blonde hair and her adorable smile. Even as recently as the release of her 2013 masterpiece, "Britney Jean," the pop star was frequently photographed "cheesin'" with her pearly whites exposed, however, it seems as though things have changed. 

Scrolling through Brit's Instagram these days, however, it seems as though the "Blackout" singer only takes photos with her lips pursed, somewhat contorting her lips into what's commonly recognized as a "duck face." While there's no denying she still looks BEAUTIFUL, it's recently become clear that Britney makes an effort to conceal her chompers as much as she possibly can.

For the most part, Brit's Instagram is filled with videos that document her daily activities, whether she's tirelessly dancing and breaking her foot, ranting about being "skinny as a needle," or admiring all the birds chirping during her Hawaii vacation. While talking within close proximity of the camera, however, fans began to notice she now has a gap in her smile.

Don't get us wrong — Britney still looks glam AF, but we can't help but wonder what happened to her pearly whites. However, we think we may have found an answer to what may have happened, and it's probably not as shocking as you think.

Almost every Hollywood star out there is familiar with Dr. Kevin Sands – he's known as the 90210 Dentist, and he's worked on a wide variety of famous clientele, from Miley Cyrus to Kim Kardashian. The well-to-do dentist has done a ton of cosmetic work on famous people, and boasts photos of them on his website and on his Instagram. In fact, the front page of his website contains an old photo of him standing next to Britney, with a side blurb about "dental bonding."

Essentially, people sometimes choose to undergo a procedure called "dental bonding" when they have a visible gap in their smile, but not enough gaps to get braces or Invisalign, per Healthline. The space between the two teeth is essentially "bonded" with a tooth-like enamel, thus filling in the space until the material is replaced within about 10 years. It seems like Britney's bonding may have fallen out, and she chose not to get it replaced.

Britney's gap tooth shows she's just like us — she wasn't born with perfectly straight teeth, despite popular opinion, and seemingly never got her apparent bonding replaced. We love you, Brit, and you're gorgeous no matter what!