We know it’s important to you to have an attractive smile when you get your dentures. We work with the best materials and craftsmen to achieve the most attractive and natural-looking dentures possible with current technologies. We also use advanced fitting techniques to ensure your dentures are balanced with your proper facial proportions. FOY® Dentures represent the pinnacle of these two approaches.
But even as we’re doing this work to make sure your dentures look their best, we have to understand that not all of your dentures are going to show when you smile. In fact, depending on the way you smile, it might be that not much of your dentures will actually show when you smile.
Here are some of the factors that will affect how much of your dentures are likely to show when you smile.
Your Personal Smile
Not everyone smiles the same way. Some people have naturally wider smiles than others. A survey of 454 natural smiles found that 11% of people showed their full upper teeth and their upper gums. The survey also found that about 20% of people showed less than three quarters of their upper teeth when they smiled. The rest showed about 75-100% of their upper teeth when they smiled.
People are more likely to show more of their upper teeth if they have either a cuspid or a complex smile. In these smiles, the upper lips move up either before or at the same time that the corners of their mouths move.
When we design your dentures, we can look at old pictures of you smiling to get an idea about how much of your dentures should show when you smile.
Age Diminishes Display
As we age, our smile tends to diminish. This is partly because teeth can wear down, but it’s also because our lips don’t elevate as much. By your 70s, you will show about half as much of your teeth as you did in your 50s. That’s expected, and normal. Creating a denture that exposes more teeth than is normal will make your smile look off and create an artificial impression that implies your dentures are too big for your mouth.
This means that although we’ll start by looking at old pictures of you, we can adjust the display for age to make sure your smile still looks natural and normal.
Natural vs. Posed Smiles
It’s also important to distinguish between smiles that happen naturally and the smiles you give when you are posing, especially when you’re posing in front of a mirror. This can be a little tricky to manage, because during a try-in, you’re going to want to look at your smile in the mirror, and you probably can’t help giving a little bit of a forced smile at that time.
To help correct for this, we’ll take pictures of you smiling as you would smile for pictures. This is closer to a natural smile because you’re not responding to your lips as you see them, but simply responding to what feels natural and normal for your smile.
Confidence Will Lead to Bigger Smiles
Finally, we have to be prepared for the fact that you’re probably going to smile bigger with your new dentures than you did with your old dentures. You will feel more comfortable and more confident, and that will make you smile bigger.
This is good: your beautiful new dentures deserve to be shown off in all their glory. Enjoy your new smile and share it with everyone–it will make their day, too.
Dentures That Make Your Smile Look Natural
At Smile Columbia Dentistry, denture dentist Dr. Adam Hahn is trained in the latest principles of cosmetic dentistry, which allows him to deliver beautiful, natural-looking dentures that let you smile with confidence. Be prepared for compliments on your beautiful smile. Dentures can give you the best smile of your life.
To learn more about designing the best cosmetic dentures for you in Columbia, SC, please call (803) 781-9090 today for an appointment at Smile Columbia Dentistry.
