All orthodontists are specialists in straightening teeth and bites but not all orthodontists use the same techniques.

Orthodontist (who specialise in the field of Orthodontics) do not only straighten teeth. Many people believe an orthodontist key objective is to take crooked teeth and move them into a straight position. This is true, but there is so much more to orthodontics than just straightening crooked teeth. They perform a full makeover.

An influx of 3D scanning technology into the field of Orthodontics means there are more materials at our disposal to design and create a personalised and balanced smile. Gone are the days metal braces was our only option to straighten teeth. Now we have clear plastic aligners, clear ceramic brackets and wires which are uniquely made specifically for each and every patient’s tooth, giving you the best possible result. The more materials and techniques we have, the more personalised the teeth makeover process can be.

Our Orthodontists prides themselves to be at the forefront of designing personalised solutions that are in perfect harmony with the face and personality of every patient.

Smile Design Factors

There is much to consider when designing the perfect solution – and its not just about making crooked teeth straight. It is critical to design an outcome that is balanced, functional and stunning.

Your doctor assesses each individual case when designing a treatment – examining a variety of factors including the teeth, mouth, lips, face, muscular tone, lifestyle and looking at the latest research in dental aesthetics.

Design Factor 1: Angle of the Front Teeth (a.k.a Torque):

Some people present with severe angles of their front teeth either forwards, backwards, or both. In each of the below cases, the aim is to bring the teeth to a more centralised harmonious place.

Purposeful forward angling of the top front teeth (known as proclination) has become a trend in the last decade. This is where the teeth are moved into a straight and symmetrical position but instead of the front teeth being straight down, the orthodontist angles them slightly forwards. This can look brilliant for some people, especially those with lip collagen collapse during ageing – proclination can give a less aged appearance. However, this doesn’t suit everyone, to choose this look is dependent on the dynamics of the lip tone and overall dental health.

Design Factor 2: Width (a.k.a. Arch Width):

I’m sure you’ve noticed it — some people have big broad smiles and it looks like they have an endless number of teeth in their mouth. Others, have shorter smiles. This appearance of width is related to the shape of the dental arch and can be manipulated to create the ideal width.

A narrow arch creates what is known as the ‘Buccal Corridor’ — these are dark spaces either side of the teeth as can be seen in the above left image. The teeth in the above case are straight, but the buccal corridor can make them less aesthetic than when the buccal corridor is absent.
However, if you already have a broad smile already and in proportion to your lips & face then further broadening might not be aesthetic in that case.

Design Factor 3: Lips (a.k.a. Vermillion Composition):

The lips are integral when designing and creating a smile. The lip position, their shape and volume are assessed as this can heavily influence our end goal. In some dental cases, the lips cannot completely close (this is known as lip incompetence). Most individuals have partially competent lips, in that the lips close but there is a slight opening. This sometimes cannot be avoided. But the ideal goal is to get lip competence and closure without muscular strain.When the lips are open all day the mouth can become dry and the teeth can become sticky with plaque and the individual is more prone to decay and gum disease.

As mentioned previously, lip collagen collapse as a result of ageing can take away from the smile aesthetics, often a slight protrusion of the top front teeth can result in a nice lift in the top lip. Dr Vandana Katyal considers the ageing process to design a smile that can aesthetically last as long as possible.

Design Factor 4: Teeth size & shape:

Some people have very long or large teeth, others have small teeth (a natural occurrence or can be a result of chronic clenching and grinding — let your doctor know if you have a grinding or clenching habit). The shape and size of the teeth tell us what is achievable and if you will need more dental treatment such as veneers and teeth whitening at the end of your treatment.

Your smile design will look at the measurements of each tooth and determine their best place in relation to the other teeth and to the smile.

During the smile design process, our Orthodontist may use the “Golden Proportions” as a guide when determining where the teeth should go. The Golden Proportions is a ratio based on the number Phi 1.6818.., and this is a great guide for aesthetic symmetry. These proportions are everywhere in nature, in trees, leaves, the body… everything. So it would only be natural when designing a smile masterpiece to incorporate and use this ratio and proportions to ensure harmony and aesthetics.

When it comes to small or big teeth, either side of the spectrum, it can be difficult, even impossible to get the ideal Golden Proportions to get the perfect smile. This doesn’t mean it can’t happen – anything is possible! It would mean moving the teeth to their best position that they can get into and then perhaps performing further aesthetic dental treatment to get your smile to perfection. Some are happy without further dental treatment, but we always give complete options for your perfect smile.

Design Factor 5: Symmetry (midline):

Here we are following an imaginarily line in the middle of the face. The orthodontically aesthetic scenario is when the midline of the teeth (the line between the two front teeth) are in line with the midline of the face). Beauty and aesthetics is all about symmetry. By developing a more symmetrical smile we increase the aesthetics of the face.

Our patient here has occlusal tipping of teeth on one side – called “occlusal plane canting”; her teeth are straight and have a great aesthetic shape but the smile is uneven and is asymmetrical. Although it may not be immediately obvious, when you look at the smile one can tell something is off kilter.

Design Factor 6: Facial profile (nose, chin):

The side profile of the face is imperative when analysing the face and designing the best smile for the individual. Most cases, there are slight variations, in other more severe cases there are major variations from the norm as in the case below. Following orthodontic treatment there is complete facial harmony and consequently the profile is more aesthetic.

We all get ready and make ourselves as polished as possible for a job interview so why not beautify your smiles – we strive to put our best foot and SMILE forward!

Clean Clear and Correct Smiles focuses on the union between functionality and aesthetics when it comes to your smile.

SMILE SMILE SMILE!Occlusal tipping: the LHS of the top teeth is inclined upwards as shown by the arrow. The left top front tooth is clearly higher it’s neighbour