It's
time to smile... but what makes a great smile and great looking
teeth?
As part of our commitment to providing the highest quality
dental care we feel it is right to offer you information and
education so you can understand what makes the perfect smile.
You will then be in the best place to be able to chose the
best cosmetic dentist for you and be able to truly judge any
photos they show to you of cases they have done.
After all, a tooth is just a tooth isn't it?
Well, actually no!
It all starts with this guy, Fibonacci.
Leonardo Fibonacci discovered what is known as the 'Golden
Proportion' or the 'Golden Ratio' - it's a ratio that governs
the whole of our lives - and is 1 to 0.618
This ratio is found in nature, art and architecture. The
ratio even governs the space between the diastole and systole
of your heart beat!
There are gauges that can show us this relationship of 1 to
0.618 as shown in the following images.
Nature falls in to this proportion all the time, and if this
proportion is not adhered to things don't look quite right...
and that includes your teeth. You see your teeth also conform to
this golden proportion and we violate it at our peril...
Have you ever seen a person's smile and you just thought it
looked wrong? There are a few celebrities that have had their
teeth done that show this well!
We bet that if you measured the golden ratio of their teeth
that it's wrong - and people notice when it is.
The golden proportion dictates the following dimensions:
The ratio of the width to length of each tooth
The ratio of widths from tooth to tooth
The ratio of the whole smile on the face
The ratio of the 2 front teeth in proportion to the eyes
At Clock Tower Dental we are acutely aware of this Golden
Ratio and ensure that your teeth fit in to the proportions
perfectly. But there's so much more to a great smile...
Lip Position
What is also important is that the tips of your teeth match
the line of your lower lip. If this is not the case the smile
can look crooked and uneven
Notice the before smile shows
this patient's teeth hanging down below his lip (on the inside) on the
left of the photo.
His teeth are too long this side, so we evened them up and created a
harmonious smile that matched the line of his lower lip.
Black Triangles
Often at the
tips of the teeth people complain of black triangles.Whist this is natural some
people prefer to have them smaller and less noticeable.
Libby was unhappy with her
smile so we made her some veneers.
Notice how much these black triangles have now reduced!
It's also
worth pointing out that naturally the size of these triangles gets
bigger the further back we go.
So always ask the dentist for a cosmetic dental mock-up
of how you will look before hand, you can then check that these
triangles get slightly larger the further back you go for a more
natural looking smile.
The Gum Line
Also extremely importantly is the line of the gums and top
teeth. This should mirror the line of the top lip and be even
all the way round.
Gillian was referred from her
own dentist because of the complexity of her problem. Notice in the
before image that she shows quite a lot of gum when she smiles, and the
line of the tops of her teeth where they meet the gums is not even.
The after photograph shows a more even smile with the same amount of gum
showing either side.
Try out your new knowledge with these
Celebrity Smiles
By now you are almost an expert on what makes a great smile
and how to chose the very best cosmetic dentist - so, armed with
your new knowledge of cosmetic dentistry and what makes the
perfect smile take a look at these celebrity smiles.
Remember to look at the Golden Proportion, Lip Position, Gum
Line and reduction of Black Triangles. If you'd like to view the
Celebrity Teeth Before and After as full screen please
click here.
It's
time to smile... but what makes a great smile and great looking
teeth? 
