What A Family Dentist Looks For To Identify A Perfect Smile

A Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or a family dentist will look at how well all of the components of your mouth work together in order to create an aesthetically pleasing smile. This includes how each tooth appears in relation to each other, the alignment of your teeth according to your lips and face, and how your lips and gums behave in relation to your teeth. Amazingly, there are ten different principles that need to be satisfied for you to get the smile that is perfect for you.

The Line And Proportions Of The Smile

When your family dentist looks at your smile line, he or she wants to see that the line of your teeth runs parallel with the top of the lower lip line. Your bottom gums should run in the same line as the bottom of your lower lip line. These two alignments should hold true, regardless of the shape of your smile.

The DDS will check the proportion of your smile according to the size of your front teeth. The height of your front two upper teeth (called maxillary incisors) should run at a ratio to their width of 1:1.618 for the 'perfect' look. The width of your two front teeth should also be equivalent in size to the three teeth on either side of the midway point.

Arch, Midline, And Axial Alignment

When checking the axial alignment of your teeth, the family dentist looks to see that your teeth are angled vertically toward the center of your mouth. A good midline and arch alignment means that your front two teeth meet in the middle of your face and are parallel with the alignment of your eyes. This is the case, regardless of how your eyes are balanced.

Size And Shape Of Each Tooth

To determine your perfect smile, the DDS will analyze the silhouette or shape of each tooth in relation to the one next to it. He or she will start with your two front teeth and look to either side of them to see if they have a similar curve. The dentist will then compare the shape and size of your teeth to ensure they progress gradually and symmetrically in the middle and asymmetrically as they go towards the back. This is called your maxillary incisal embrasures.

Gingival Contour And Contact Progression

Another alignment your DDS will look for is that all of your teeth touch their neighbors in a straight line. This is the same as the line created by your lower lip and the shape of your teeth. The gingival contour deals specifically with the alignment of your gums. If you were to smile in the mirror, you should see no more than 3mm of your gums between the top of your teeth and your lip line. The area of your gums between your teeth should also make a nice even line that matches your lip line.

Color And Occlusion

With these two components, your family dentist is looking at your entire set of teeth. Occlusion means that your DDS is checking that your upper and lower teeth match up horizontally and vertically with each other. When looking at the color of your teeth, the dentist is not looking at how white your teeth are. The color of a tooth should match the one to the next. The actual color of your teeth will depend on the average color of all your teeth as well as things such as your skin, hair, and eye color.

Any dental professional, whether he or she is an Illinois DDS or a Chicago family dentist, will tell you that there isn't one perfect smile. The perfect smile means that all aspects of your teeth line up with your lips, facial features, and each other.

About the Author: Christine O'Kelly writes for the Chicago DDS at Big Smile Dental. This Chicago family dentist and dental care staff specialize in a variety of treatments, including braces, cosmetic makeovers, and teeth whitening.