Smiles are part of our social interaction, our greeting, our best card so to speak. Smiles are an important part of the first impression we give to a new acquaintance or business associate. Smile evaluations are fun and informative, and essential if one desires to achieve, maintain, and maintain an overall aesthetic facial look. A smile evaluation is more than looking for discolored, crowded, chipped or missing teeth. Studies indicate that lip length, lip volume, lip movement in casual smile and high smile, tooth length, gum position on the teeth, and the width and lengths all impact the overall aesthetic look of a smile.

Smile analysis is a very important part of a facial and smile aesthetic evaluation. Making the correct diagnosis is essential to getting the best results with the proposed treatment. The wrong diagnosis and treatment will not achieve proper balance, as it will show improper balance from one tooth to another. For instance, gummy smile, showing too much gum tissue, are often misdiagnosed and interacted. Gummy smile are the result of four possible problems: eruption upper lip over-eruption of the upper teeth, overgrowth of the upper jawbone, or shortened upper lip. The overgrowth of the upper lip can be from combination of these conditions. Measuring the length will reveal if there is a long, short, or normal length lip. Lip mobility should be measured and observed in casual smile and high smile positions. Lip length and lip mobility will determine whether the proposed treatment is appropriate.

Discussing these findings is an important conversation to have with a patient before they have facial cosmetics like dental restorations, face lifts, lip lifts, Botox, and dermal fillers. Often facial surgeons and dermatologists do not understand the underlying anatomy and physiology. A Botox or doing a face or lip lift may not correct the real problem and may create another problem. Botox will deactivate muscles to some extent, depending on the dose given. When the smile becomes inactive, the smile is diminished. In patients who have short upper lips without activating muscles). Long-term lip incompetence may cause chronic mouth breathing and chronic postural problems, TMD (jaw dysfunction), and chronic headaches.

Another example of the need for correct smile evaluation is with facial cosmetic surgery pro procedures offered to patients with the goal of shortening the upper lip to give a pout appearance.

It is important to know whether the surgery will cause lip incompetence that result in the upper lip being too long or an upper lip that is overweight of the gums. If the problem is not a hyperactive lip but overweight of the gums, Botox may be the appropriate treatment. If the problem is not a hyperactive lip but overweight of the gums, Botox may be the appropriate treatment. If the problem is not a hyperactive lip but overweight of the gums, Botox may be the appropriate treatment. If the problem is not a hyperactive lip but overweight of the gums, Botox may be the appropriate treatment. If the problem is not a hyperactive lip but overweight of the gums, Botox may be the appropriate treatment. If the problem is not a hyperactive lip but overweight of the gums, Botox may be the appropriate treatment. If the problem is not a hyperactive lip but overweight of the gums, Botox may be the appropriate treatment.

In most cases, correcting the dental imbalance first will reduce the need for facial cosmetics and set the stage for the best results. If you are thinking of some cosmetic changes to the face and smile, consult with your dentist as part of your healthcare team to make sure you have all the information needed to make the best decisions for the desired outcome.