Smile Design Rules
Horizontal Alignment
The teeth should be aligned to the horizontal or the eye line. Teeth quite often tilt, which does not enhance the appearance of the smile.
Smile Line
The smile line, which joins the edges of the teeth, should follow the curve of the bottom lip. This gives a more youthful appearance. A flat line is associated with more worn and aged teeth. Women have more curved smiles than men – fact!
Curved Tooth Edges
Without curved egdes the teeth would look very square. The edges become more curved the further back the teeth are in the mouth.
Symmetry
Ideally this should be across the facial midline. That is, the tooth on side should be same as it’s opposite number on the other side. This is of great importance in producing a pleasing smile. It cannot always be achieved but every effort should be made to create the appearance of a symmetrical smile.
Crescent Shaped Gums
These give a more aesthetic appearance than flat gums.
Gum Line
This follows the line of the top lip. An uneven gum line is not as aesthetically pleasing.
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Correct Tooth Proportions
The golden rules of proportion describe an ideal ratio of the visible widths of the front teeth. 1.6/1.0/0.6.
Tooth Proportion
Each individual tooth should be of certain proportions. For example the front tooth’s ideal height to width ratio is 1 : 0.75.
Smile Width
The teeth should follow a curve backwards so that no dark spaces are left empty in the corners of the mouth. If this is the case it may appear that these teeth are missing and the teeth in front are standing alone.
