Principles for a Perfect Smile

  1. Proportion of Centrals. The width divided by the length of your upper two front teeth should be between 75% and 80% or ideally 77%.
  2. Golden Proportion of Upper Anterior Six Teeth. On a two dimensional picture these teeth should have specific ratios when comparing the lateral upper teeth.
  3. Midline and Arch Alignment. Your two front teeth should be in the middle of your face. The arch alignment should be perpendicular to the midline or parrallel to your eyes providing your eyes are balanced.
  4. Axial Inclination. All your teeth should be slightly mesially inclined.
  5. Incisal Edge Line vs. Lower Lip Line. If your lower lip has a pattern 1 character, then the upper teeth should follow along the upper lip.
  6. Contact Points. These get progressively closer to the gingiva as the teeth go posteriorly.
  7. Arch Form. If one was to draw a line through the centre of the cuspids, the line should bisect the incisive papilla. If this line is posterior to the papilla the arch form will be too narrow. If this line is anterior to the papilla the arch form will appear too flat in appearance.
  8. Gradation. The teeth should appear to get shorter as one looks posteriorly.
  9. Gingival Symmetry. The gums on one side of your mouth should look exactly like the other side. When someone is smiling we should see no more than 3 mm of gum tissue.
  10. Gingival Contour. When a line is drawn from the gingiva of the cuspid to the gingiva of the central, the gingiva of the lateral should be 1 – 2 mm lower than this line.
  11. Gingival Zenith. The highest point of the gingiva should be just distal to the long axis of the cuspid and central teeth but should be right on the long axis with the lateral tooth.