IS THE WHITE OF YOUR SMILE TOO WHITE?

Creating esthetic awareness in my patients allows for beautiful disharmony...also known as a naturally gorgeous smile!

Natural beauty is not PERFECT!  And your smile is a perfect example of this.  An elegant smile carries physical and emotional beauty.  I would like to focus this blog discussion on the physical aspect of a PERFECTLY WHITE smile.  What does a "perfectly white smile" look like?  Chalk? Piano keys? Egg Whites?  

Our society is obsessed with having Hollywood white teeth.  This typically means getting them as white as possible.  Teeth whitening products and services are everywhere! They can be seen and purchased on TV, over the internet, in your local drug store, or at a mall kiosk.  Ideally, whitening treatment should be considered with and completed alongside a trained cosmetic dentist. The safety and efficacy necessary can only be achieved in a professional setting.  Moreover, the dentist must work to make patients aware of the procedures involved, guiding them in evaluating the aspects of their smile that can be esthetically improved and those that, with the clinician's help, can also be identified and understood by them.

My patients' estethic perception changes when they are adequately educated.  This helps to explain the difference between a "perfect" but stereotyped smile - with flawless, straight, chalk white teeth - and a natural smile, with imperfections of shape and color, that oftentimes help to create a naturally and beautifully imperfect smile.

A white smile should never be too white.  

Key Element: THE WHITE OF YOUR SMILE SHOULD NEVER BE WHITER THAN THE WHITE OF YOUR EYE. 

So yes, the white of your smile may be too white.  When observing the natural dentition, a significant difference in color can be seen between the teeth. For instance, the two central middle teeth are the lightest teeth in the mouth. In most individuals, the lateral incisors, those next to the central ones, appear to be the same color as the central incisors but slightly less intense, and therefore look much less bright. The canines often show a much more intense shade, sometimes appearing much darker than the teeth next to them.

The understanding of light reflection and refraction, tooth anatomy and position, and  enamel thickness and translucency help to explain the natural appearance of teeth shade and color.  When restoring anterior teeth, due consideration must be given to re-creating this natural color progression.

Whether via teeth whitening or through porcelain restorations, the shade and color of your smile should be carefully analyzed and chosen so as not to elect the "perfectly white" smile only Hollywood knows.  PERFECTION IS NATURAL DISHARMONY.

Let us remember the importance of always striving for that imperfectly perfect smile!

Allow us to assist you in creating that "Smile You'd Be Proud To Wear...ANYWHERE!"