| Smile
Line |
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The shape
of your teeth should parallel your lips when you
smile. The upper border of the lower lip will
parallel the edges of your teeth. The lower border
of your lip will parallel your gum line of your
upper teeth. |
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smile line is dependent on your smile pattern (the
commissure smile, the cuspid smile, or the complex
smile). However, regardless of your smile pattern,
the line created by your teeth (as depicted above)
should parallel the line of your lips. |
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| Smile
Proportions |
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| The
Golden Proportion results from the division of a
straight line based on the proportion: 1 to 1.618.
Shapes defined by this golden ratio have long been
considered aesthetically pleasing, which is true
in all aspects of nature and beauty including
dentistry (see Image 1).
The
width divided by the length of the two upper front
teeth should be equal to double their height (or
ideally 80%). In this instance, the width of the
two front teeth should also be equal to the width
of the first three teeth to either side of the
midline (see Image 2, where A=B=C).
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Image
1
Image 2
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| Midline
and Arch Alignment |
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Your two
front teeth (maxillary incisors) should be in the
middle of your face.
The arch alignment should be parallel to your
eyes or perpendicular to the midline (if your eyes
are not balanced). |
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| Silhouettes |
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| The curve
of your teeth should take the same shape
(silhouette) as the curve of the tooth beside it,
beginning from the incisors and progressing
outwards.
For example, the maxillary incisors should
silhouette the curve of the teeth beside them
(laterals). |
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| Maxillary
Incisal Embrasures |
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There is a
progression of the size and shape of the maxillary
incisal embrasures with the smallest and most
symmetric embrasures between the centrals and
gradually getting larger and more asymmetric to
the cuspid. |
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| Progression
of Contacts |
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| There also
tends to be a progression of the contact*
areas gingivally as the contacts move farther from
the middle and front of the jaw.
That is to say that the contact areas should
follow the smile line and silhouette of the lower
lip.
*Contacts are defined
as the exact place that the teeth touch. |
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| Axial
Alignments |
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The axial
inclination begins to angle more mesially (toward
the middle) from midline to posterior teeth.
The pattern of axial alignment should run
consistently and parallel to each other. |
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| Gingival
Contour |
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| When
smiling we should see no more than 3mm of your gum
tissue. Also the gum crests between teeth should
follow your smile line. |
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| Occlusion |
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Occlusion
looks at any irregularities in terms of the
alignment of the teeth of the upper and lower jaws
when brought together. |
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| Colour |
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| The
appropriate colour of a patient's teeth takes into
account a number of factors, such as skin tone,
uniformity of colour, disparities between teeth,
and any obvious discoloration. |
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