Cosmetic Dentistry Orange County | Huefner Sensational Smiles Blog

When it comes to your teeth and smile the length of your teeth, especially your front two teeth, is a very important aspect on how the world sees your smile. If your teeth are too short, it may make you look older than your years and take a lot away from the power of your smile. If the teeth are too long, because the gums have possibly receded over the years, then the smile can be unattractive or even distracting. Like the story about the Three Bears, the length of the front teeth needs to be “just right” for a great smile. So, when cosmetic dentists create a new smile for their patients, with porcelain veneers, bonding or all-ceramic crowns, what are the criteria that they use?The first test I use is to check my patient when they relax their mouth and face muscles, with the mouth slightly open and separating the back teeth so they aren’t touching together. The upper lip has to be totally relaxed. In general I would like to see 1-2mm (about 1/8”) of the front teeth showing. If I don’t see any teeth showing, the front teeth may be too short producing an older looking smile. If I see more than that, there may be a short upper lip or a large overbite and long teeth that I have to take into consideration.

The left photo shows teeth that are probably too short and the one on the right is of unworn teeth, which is more youthful and attractive.The next test is having the patient give a full smile. How much of the upper front teeth do I see then? If all of the front teeth show, then the next thing I want to see that the tooth is longer than it is wide (rectangular). If the front tooth is as wide as it is long (square), it may be considered too short and/or aged. If it is wider than it is long, the teeth would definitely be considered too short and very aged! The most common reason for short teeth is from wearing away from a grinding habit, which is more pronounced with older individuals.

The left photo shows teeth that are too long for the smile. The next photo shows worn teeth that are now square. The third photo demonstrates severely shortened and worn teeth. The last photo shows teeth that are normal in shape and length for this patient’s smile.
There was a study done once where the public was shown various people smiling and could observe the full length of the front teeth. Almost universally they thought that the most beautiful smiles had front teeth that were 1.29 times longer than they were wide (in dental terms a 78% width-length ratio). Thus, a great starting point for a dentist is to measure the width of the tooth, do the math, and then establish the ideal visual length for the front two teeth. (By the way, one test you can use on that might give you an idea as to how well trained your dentist is with cosmetic dentistry would be to ask “What is the ideal proportion of the length of the upper front two teeth?” Answers of 78% (ideal), 75-80% (acceptable range) or 1.29 times longer than wide are answers that probably indicate that the dentist has studied the finer points of cosmetic dentistry.)This length can be tested to see how the patient likes the length before any treatment is even started. Without needing any numbing medicine or doing any drilling, filling material can be added temporarily onto the short front teeth. Then the patient and dentist can evaluate the length for optimum esthetics when the patient has a relaxed mouth or a big smile. There is another criteria that cosmetic dentists like and that is for the edges of the eight upper front teeth to follow the contour of the lower lip when smiling. Cosmetic dentists call this “following the smile line” .


This photo demonstrates a nice smile that follows the “smile line” and teeth are attractive and normal in length for this patients smile. It should be obvious that this is a post-treatment photo of a lady with 8 porcelain veneers.
The last test that we use is to verify the esthetically determined teeth length with phonetics or “speech function”. If the teeth are too long then they will hit the lower lip to much and affect the ability to produce the “f” sounds. If the patient says the word “fifty-five” cosmetic dentists like to see the upper teeth to gently touch the lower lip. If the front teeth hit too hard and the teeth are too long, making a proper the “f” sounds will be difficult.But more important than all of these cosmetic dentistry criteria is that the patient likes his or her new smile with porcelain veneers and can comfortably and appropriately speak. Establishing the length of the new veneers should be a joint decision between the cosmetic dentist and the patient.

Dr. Norman Huefner, General and Cosmetic Dentistry, Laguna Niguel, CA

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