Page 29 - Amazing Smiles

Factors that Determine How Your Smile Looks

Incisal Edge With all these colors, shapes, sizes and
figure 22 arrangements, there is still another part of teeth
MILD that must be considered by both patient and
MODERATE cosmetic dentist. The biting edges of the anterior
HEAVY teeth have a different property of enamel than the
figure 23 rest of the tooth structure. This is called the incisal
edge. (figure 22)
figure 24
At the incisal edge, the enamel is usually
more translucent than the thin enamel covering
the rest of the body of the tooth. This allows light
to easily pass through it giving the edge a differ-
ent look. When viewed from the front of a
person, this appears as a tiny blue-grayish line at
the very edges of the teeth.

This blue grayish look is caused by the back-
drop and shadowing of the deepest part of the
mouth showing through the translucent enamel. It
should be decided with the cosmetic dentist if a
mild, moderate or heavy incisal edge look is
preferred on the incisor teeth. (figure 23)

Another important fact to be aware of is
how cosmetic dentists measure teeth. They measure
tooth size in millimeters, not inches. Don’t refer to
the customary inch scale when asking to have teeth
lengthened, widened or changed. Millimeters may
be very tiny, but adding just a millimeter can have
a dramatic visual effect upon teeth and smiles.
(figure 24)

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