Not everyone is born with a great smile and even those who are lucky can develop problems over the years. Cosmetic dentistry offers the opportunity to remedy what Mother Nature hasn’t given you or what Father Time has taken away.
But, cosmetic dental care is both art and science. There are rules to what makes a great smile and if you don’t follow them the results aren’t going to be natural and attractive. Read on to learn more about the rules of smile design.
The teeth should be in mathematical proportion to your face and each other. When viewed from the front, the size of the teeth should become progressively smaller as we proceed toward the back of the mouth in the ratio of 1.6 to 1.0 to 0.6.
The width of the front teeth has to be about 80% of the height. If the front tooth is 8 mm wide, it must be about 10 mm high. Otherwise the teeth look out of proportion.
The gum line should be symmetrical with the central incisor being higher, the lateral incisor being lower and the canine the same as the central incisor and not too much gum should be visible even in a big smile.
There should be openings between the teeth at the biting edges so that the teeth look separate.
The teeth should have a natural arc to show the back teeth when the person smiles
