Sunday, March 1, 2009
I have always been embarrassed about my smile. After reading one of your earlier articles, I’ve decided on porcelain veneers to change the shape and colour of my teeth. How will my dentist determine my ‘perfect smile’?
A beautiful smile is more than just shiny, white teeth. A good cosmetic dentist will understand facial aesthetics and how your new smile should work with your overall facial form in a complementary fashion. A smile designed for someone with a very round face will likely not suit someone with a long, thin face. A woman’s smile will often be designed with “softer” features than a man’s. Like most patients, you probably want white teeth, but the shade of white must be chosen carefully to complement your skin tone. Your dentist will understand certain facial parameters and how to set up your smile so that it is in balance with your eyes, nose, lips and chin. Your perfect smile will work in harmony with your other facial features, promoting a sense of balance and symmetry.
With an ideal smile, the teeth should fit nicely within the boundaries of the lips. The midline of the two front teeth will be aligned with the filtrum, the little furrow in your upper lip under your nose, and there should be perfect symmetry between the teeth on the left and those on the right. The incisal edges of the teeth should follow the form of the lower lip all the way to the corners of the mouth, often mimicking the contour of a smile. When smiling gently, these incisal edges should just barely touch the lip and very little of the gumline should be visible. A smile that is too “gummy” or that has an uneven gumline can be improved through laser recontouring.
Cosmetic dentists work with talented lab ceramists who create the new teeth using mathematical parameters. In an ideal smile, the teeth actually relate to one another in size according to a mathematical formula called the Golden Proportion. Examples of this proportion abound in nature and can be seen in the design of the sunflower and spiral shells. We find this proportion to be pleasing to the eye, and we often attempt to replicate it in our art and architecture.
Some dentists talk about the “Social Six”, where only the central six front teeth are treated. However, I find that most people show a minimum of eight and sometimes up to twelve teeth when they smile, and therefore, the most beautiful effect is achieved when the proper number of veneers are placed to complement that particular smile.
When you are choosing to improve your smile with porcelain, it is important to ask the right questions of your dentist. There is not one “perfect smile” that suits everyone. Your new smile should be uniquely designed to complement your face and to enhance its features, allowing you to express your inner beauty. You will find that once you are no longer embarrassed to smile, you will smile more readily and more often. You will feel better and more confident – and isn’t feeling good about yourself the best reason to smile?
Keep smiling!
