Designing Your Perfect Smile

Flip through the pages of People or scroll through Instagram, and you’ll see endless pictures of the quintessential Hollywood smile. We’re talking brilliantly white, perfectly straight teeth with a confident grin to match. This type of smile is undoubtedly attractive. Considering how many up-and-comers receive cosmetic dentistry after a big break in their career, it’s also synonymous with success and achievement.

Dr. Desai sees many patients who are just like you; they’re dreaming of a Red Carpet-worthy Hollywood smile and even have examples of stars who have the smile they want for themselves. Everyone deserves a beautiful smile, but what’s perfect for someone else might not suit you.

Here’s why Dr. Desai takes an artistic approach to smile design to ensure your new smile is stunning and complementary to your unique facial characteristics.

Your smile is much more than your teeth.

Cosmetic dentistry strongly focuses on changing teeth shape, size, color, and alignment, but that’s not all. Dr. Desai will consider your whole face and its natural characteristics to design a smile that fits you.

The anatomy of your smile consists of several components, all of which will be considered when designing your new smile.

Here’s a closer look at the five most significant factors and what is generally seen as attractive.

1. Teeth and Gums

Teeth and gums are the main focus of your smile. Teeth should be evenly spaced, straight, and an attractive shade of white. Your smile should also have a balanced tooth reveal, meaning the upper teeth show when broadly smiling. There should also be an appropriate ratio between the teeth and gums. Too much gum or too much tooth can be fixed through crown lengthening and gum contouring, respectively.

2. Lips and Smile Line

Your lips and natural smile line frame your teeth, therefore playing an important role in smile design. General guidelines for what’s considered attractive is a minimum of 75% of the space between your lips showing your front teeth when fully smiling. An attractive smile line will have the bottom of the lower lip at the lower gum line and the edges of the upper teeth parallel to the lower lip. 

3. Smile Midline

Your front two teeth should line up with your facial midline. Dr. Desai will determine the most accurate midline based on your facial features and upper lip and align the upper front teeth to match this. The line between the upper front teeth can also be perpendicular to the corners of the mouth when fully smiling.

4. Buccal Corridor

When you smile, there will usually be a dark space that’s visible between the corners of your mouth and upper teeth. This space is called the buccal corridor, and it has a big impact on the attractiveness of a smile. Dr. Desai will aim for a smaller buccal corridor to give the smile a more full or broad appearance.

5. Smile Emergence

The angle of your teeth will impact your facial profile. Inwardly angled teeth can give your smile an older appearance, while correctly angled teeth can instantly add youthfulness. The angle of your teeth also impacts your smile line.

Dr. Desai can enhance your smile by using a combination of different restorative and cosmetic dentistry services. Your personalized smile makeover may include professional teeth whitening, porcelain veneers, composite bonding, dental crowns, dental bridges, or even Invisalign if your teeth need orthodontic care.

Enhance your smile’s unique traits.

On a final note, consider that what is deemed attractive for a smile can vary between countries, cultures, and individuals.

Cosmetic dentistry and smile design can be entirely customized to what you want to see when you look in the mirror. If you have a charming gap between your front teeth that you adore, Dr. Desai can still give you a stunning smile makeover without changing this feature of your smile.

The most important thing is that your new smile is one you love, regardless of what may be involved in a typical “Hollywood” makeover. Dr. Desai prioritizes open communication and takes the time to fully understand what her patient wants before beginning any smile design plan for this very reason.

Smile Design and Luxury Dental Care in Newport Beach, CA

Dr. Desai is an American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry-accredited doctor with outstanding education and skill in restorative and cosmetic dental care. She values the doctor-patient relationship and offers exceptional personal care and attention.

With the Luminous Smiles team, Dr. Desai provides comprehensive dentistry services, from incredible smile makeovers to routine preventive care, to help patients maintain optimal oral health. Our concierge dentistry service will give patients who value privacy and security a fantastic experience. We offer high-priority appointments with zero wait time, and the Luminous Smiles team will be ready to greet you and make you comfortable as soon as you arrive. Contact our Newport Beach office by phone or online to schedule your smile makeover consultation.