Unique Smile Makeovers

Several key elements make the mouth beautiful. Vancouver cosmetic dentist, Dr. David Chan shares what is involved in creating a gorgeous smile. 

The mouth is an important part of our persona. We speak with it, we eat with it, we drink with it and we kiss with it. But what makes a mouth beautiful? “Our emotional reaction to beauty stems from an instinctual desire to protect our young,” offers Vancouver cosmetic dentist Dr. David Chan. “We are all charmed by the innocence and newness of an infant and it is usually adults who have ‘childlike’ physical features we deem as being physically attractive.” 

So it follows, the classically beautiful mouth is cherub-like. Like a baby’s, it has full soft lips with a high fat content. “A youthful smile has soft round smooth lips with long, white, unworn teeth. As we age, the reverse occurs. Our lips start to thin as we lose baby fat in our late teens and early twenties. They can also start to sag and cover more of the teeth which may already become stained, chipped and shorter due to normal wear and tear,” explains Dr. Chan. 

Modern cosmetic dentistry aims to rejuvenate an ailing smile while staying true to the original and unique look of the individual. “In a time of ‘extreme makeovers’ there is a danger to define beauty by current trends and aesthetics alone,” warns Dr. Chan. “It’s the challenge of the dentist to educate the patient on the various forms of beauty and which ones are most appropriate for that unique individual.” 

An important distinction is that the most attractive smiles or faces that are interesting for that matter do not adhere to precise mathematical formulas, angles, symmetries and proportions and thus do not and should not require an aggressive makeover. More often, the subtle transformation of a smile or face can transform the patient into not only attractive but also natural and interesting. 

How boring would it be if we all looked exactly alike with the same features, the same proportions and without anything “special” about us? Even celebrity smiles are memorable because of their unique qualities. Nevertheless, artistic guidelines do play a roll to achieve a balanced face whereby all the facial features compliment one another and none overpower the total facial composition. Dr. Chan advises, “The mindset of the doctor and patient should be to discover that which is missing and that which can provide balance and harmony.” 

Cosmetic dentists can change the shape, size and color of the teeth using a variety of modern, conservative methods. “The challenge is to improve on nature without reinventing it.” says Dr. Chan. 

If the teeth are small or asymmetrical, shape and size can be altered by bonding the teeth or by surgically changing the level of the gum tissue to expose more of the teeth. Color can be improved with whitening or by covering the surface of the teeth with a resin bonding or a porcelain veneer. The support of the lip can be altered by either repositioning the teeth through orthodontic methods or by orthognathic surgery. The fullness and thickness of teeth can be increased through restorative methods such as bonding, veneers or crowns. 

“We are attempting to change smiles when indicated using the most conservative, predictable methods,” says Dr. Chan. “Veneers, for example, are a popular conservative method because they preserve most of the original tooth. 

Many people turn to collagen and other fillers to restore the fullness to their lips that can be lost with age. Dr. Chan says it is important to look inside the mouth before proceeding with fillers; otherwise you may be treating only the surface without addressing the underlying cause. 

“Just as the body is supported by the framework of the skeleton, so the mouth is also supported by the bones and teeth. If a patient has lost fullness in their lips, it may be due to a lack of supporting the underlying teeth, bones and gum tissue. In that case, instead of augmenting the lips with only collagen, an important consideration should be to correct the position and contour of the teeth to create better support for the lips. This might require veneers, orthodontic treatment, or a combination of the two. 

Dr. Chan believes it is important to look at the mouth in relation to the entire face and assess the individual’s goals concurrently. “I’ll ask some provocative questions like; ‘If you could change your face, what would you like to achieve?’ Some people want fuller lips, a bigger chin and get rid of wrinkles etc. I’m a dentist and I can’t correct all those features but I can work with cosmetic surgeons to create a total rejuvenation plan.” 

Dr. Chan sees the face as an artistic composition and tries to assess the individual’s facial form and style before attempting to improve the mouth. A set of perfectly white, straight teeth with pumped up, pouty lips is not necessarily the best look for every face. “Smiles that are created by dentists with absolute mathematical symmetry do not always look natural and are not the most pleasing. It’s like making the same suite of clothing for everybody,” he says. “Advanced students of aesthetic study nature and know that two roses side by side are similar but not exactly alike. You must search for variations that would improve the individual’s smile without making it contrived and conformed to a mold.” 

A responsible cosmetic dentist knows when to say “enough” and their aim should be to recreate a naturally beautiful smile with undetectable dentistry. “It’s about using conservative treatment to finesse a unique smile rather than perform a cookie cutter smile,” says Dr. Chan. 

Dr. Chan’s office “Northwest Smile Designs” specializes in cosmetic dentistry and is located in Fisher’s Landing. 19120 SE 34^th Street. Suite #104, Vancouver, WA 98683 (360)885-1206.

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