What Makes An Attractive Smile?

The saying, ”beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, is very true in the realm of cosmetics; additionally, beauty is in the mind of the owner. Beyond the technical aspects of dentistry, in cosmetics the psychology and opinions of the patient and the people in their lives who influence those opinions are equal, if not more important factors.

Following is a checklist of the more important factors used to define what makes the “look” of a smile attractive.

Horizontal plane of occlusion is perpendicular to the long axis of the face. Most patients have some facial asymmetry that should be taken into account when determining the long axis of the face. The best way to make an assessment of the horizontal plane is with the patient standing straight with the dentist positioned directly in front of them.

The slight curve of the upper teeth follows the curve of the lower lip when smiling. Edges of the teeth are relatively higher as the eye moves distally.

There is a proportion and dominance to anterior teeth. The maxillary central incisor is usually 10.5-11mm from gingival to incisal edge.

Bilateral symmetry exists. Perfect symmetry is actually undesirable as it looks unreal. The relative display of the contralateral tooth tends to mirror the other including incisal edge. The gingival architecture is as important as tooth structure.
 
A more youthful smile displays more teeth, both vertically and horizontally. It is not uncommon to have close to 100% display of maxillary anterior in a full smile, especially in young women.


Beauty 
       says it all...