Why is facial analysis important in cosmetic dentistry?

It's essential for your dentist to do a facial analysis in cosmetic or aesthetic dentistry. The face drives the shape and position of the teeth. If someone smiles at you and it's a high and wide smile, the teeth might be out of balance or out of proportion to the face. If this is the case, the smile needs to be altered to bring about balance and proportion.

Simply put, the face directs the size of the teeth. And the facial aesthetic drives the tooth size and position. Your dentist will need to look at the face from both the front and the side, the relationship between the lips and the teeth and the teeth's shape and repositioning.

There is an important harmony that exists between facial features for a successful cosmetic dentistry result. The shape of the head, size and postion of the eyes, nose, lips, cheekbones all play a role in determining the size, position, shape and contour of the teeth especially when receiving cosmetic dentistry. Your dentist should do a complete analysis with models of your mouth and records that include extraoral photographs of the full face, profile, smile and intraoral photos of the teeth, bite, gums, and arch form. The architecture of the mouth, including the patient's lip line (e.g., a high lip line give a "gummy smile" appearance) are an essential part of facial analysis. 

For more information, look for my article on Dento-Facial Aesthetics published in GLOW Beauty Magazine's Spring 2011 issue. To view online, click the following link:

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/5f7fa368#/5f7fa368/50

 

The face and lips frame the teeth. Aesthetic dentists use what is called the 'Golden Proportions'--a mathematical way of assessing facial features--to acheive a proportioned smile. However, the majority of human faces are not symetrical -- so, creating a perfectly symmetrical smile may not necessarily suit an asymetrical face. A face can have a tilt, one eye can be lower than another, a crooked nose, a pointy chin, etc. All these things must be considered to create a fitting, natural and beautiful smile. 

For more information on Smile Makeovers and Cosmetic Dentistry, visit the Dental Health and Aesthetics Blog and read my recent article titled 'A New Year, A New Smile': 

http://joshthedentist.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-year-new-smile.html

For cosmetic dentistry not to look fake, there needs to be harmony between your face and smile. The symmetry of the smile and face need to in balance with each other for natural results. 

Cosmetic dentistry is just that, it is cosmetic. It is designed to enhance your facial features. Your smile is one of your biggest assets. The more symmetrical your facial features are, the higher your aesthetic appeal. As such, it is important to get a good analysis of your facial features when performing cosmetic dentistry. 

Facial analysis is the starting point to any cosmetic enhancement. Lip dynamics play a huge role in the size and shape of where the teeth will go in relation to the face. Whether the lip moves just a little or shows everything will account for how many teeth are included in the treatment plan.

We started with analyzing the face for making dentures and this moved onto the cosmetic dental field. When we start from nothing, we measure the width and length of the teeth in order to choose a tooth that is appropriate for the size of the face. We also take into account the shape of the face - round, oval, square in order to choose teeth that most appropriately complements the face.