Created on 20th September 2011
David Bloom and Jay Padayachy, principal dentists at top dental surgery, Senova Dental Studios, outline what you need to consider when embarking on a smile makeover
You may have always dreamed of improving your smile, but were unsure of what you really wanted: be it a natural look, a perfect smile, or just whiter teeth. The aim of this article is to give you an idea of what a dentist considers when creating a smile makeover. This is all based on a comprehensive examination looking at all factors in the mouth that may have a bearing on the end result.
A full set of radiographs (x-rays), ideally digital but, if not, film, and digital photographs should all be part of this information gathering process, including the dentist asking you about what you are hoping to achieve. Moulds of the teeth may also be required.
Before you decide what you want to do all treatment options should be explained together with fees so that you can make an informed decision about how you wish to proceed.
Cosmetic treatment (once a healthy mouth has been achieved) may be as simple as whitening, or involve invisible braces or even a full smile makeover with porcelain laminate veneers. These are thin fingernail-like, hand crafted pieces of porcelain which, when bonded onto a tooth, are incredibly strong.They can change the shape and arrangement of your teeth, close spaces and improve the colour. Whitening may improve the colour but will not change the shape or arrangement.
Orthodontics can change the arrangement of the teeth, but not alter the colour or shape; this may mean that fewer veneers are required at the end of the process or allow the tooth preparations to be more conservative.
When assessing what to look for in a pleasing smile the first aspect to look at is the overall view of your smile in your full face and to assess how many teeth you show when smiling broadly. Then assess how much tooth you show when your lips are at rest. A 30-year-old woman should ideally show 2–3mm of tooth. Showing anyless is a sign of aging. Men usually show a little less tooth. The smile should also ideally follow the line of the lower lip.
The central incisors should be the dominant teeth in the smile without being too obvious like Bugs Bunny! Their edges should be perpendicular to the midline of the face and level with a fixed reference point, usually planet earth. If the eyes are used this can lead to a slope of the teeth as not all people’s eyes are parallel to planet earth but slope to one side.
It doesn’t matter if the centre line of the smile does not pass through the centre of the face; it can be up to 4mm either side of the centre line without it being noticeable, look at where Tom Cruise started out!
The teeth either side of the central incisors (lateral incisors) should be a fraction shorter and can be different to each other. This is what creates a natural smile rather than a false/Hollywood smile where all the teeth are the same and have no individual characterisations or quirks.
The length and the width of the teeth are also important as,if this is 1:1, the teeth will look too square and if 2:1, then they will look too rectangular. Ideally we want a ratio in the region of 75–85%, so say a tooth is 10mm long it should ideally be 7.5–8.5mm wide. But they should also all be in proportion to each other; in fact close to da Vinci’s golden proportion rule.
The central teeth are perpendicular to the midline of the face, but the lateral incisors most definitely are not and should have a slight tilt to them. The canine teeth further back should have a greater tilt still and, on effect, if you draw a line through these teeth, all the lines will end up at the belly button!
Available from: Call 01923 233600, visit www.senovadental.com or email book@senovadental.com to make an appointment or to come and have a look around Senova’s fabulous new premises.
