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And you thought a smile is a
smile is a smile! Not at all –
your mouth is the first point of
contact when interacting with
people and apart from the eyes,
the mouth is also where various
emotions are first visible (a
grin, a smirk, unhappy, and so
on). According to the South
African Dental Association (SADA)
there are two ways regularly
used analyses your smile - the
emotional evaluation and the
objective analysis.
Below is a simple list of
questions using each approach
that you can do on your own in
the convenience of your own
home.
The Emotional Smile
Evaluation
The emotional smile
evaluation is based on each
individual's subjective
perceptions of his or her smile.
The questions below are designed
to help reveal a person's inner
feelings about the manner in
which their smile affects their
self image, how it impacts
interactions with others, and
how it influences the quality of
their relationships.
- Do you love the appearance
of your teeth and smile?
- Do you ever turn your face
when smiling or hold your hand
up in front of your mouth when
talking to others?
- Have you ever found yourself
looking at models or other
people with beautiful smiles and
wishing you had a similar smile?
- Have you figured out a way to
use your lips to cover any
aspect of your smile?
- Are you embarrassed to visit
a cosmetic dentist due to the
condition of your teeth or the
length of time since your last
visit to a dentist?
- How does your smile make you
feel? Confident?
- Do you shy away from showing
a full smile in front of other
people, especially strangers?
- When taking pictures, do you
tend to smile with your lips
closed instead of flashing a
happy smile?
- Have you ever held back a
laugh because you felt
uncomfortable about your smile?
- How would a beautiful new
smile make you feel?
- What would you like to
change about your smile?
The Objective Smile Analysis
For the objective analysis,
the best thing is for you to
stand in front of a mirror. Now,
smile at yourself using your
‘normal’ smile. Next, look at
the mirror and think of a
hilarious moment in your life
and give a big, laughing smile.
This big smile is probably a
much larger smile than you feel
comfortable using much of the
time if you are not happy with
your teeth. When your smile is
improved, however, your big
smile appears much more
spontaneously because you look
(and feel) great! So let's
figure out what's holding your
big smile back -- what it is
that bothers you about your
teeth.
- Are all of your teeth
brilliant white or are they
somewhat yellow, dark, or
stained?
- Are there spaces between
any of your teeth?
- Are you missing any of
your teeth?
- Do you have teeth that
are crooked, uneven, or out
of line?
- Do the biting edges of
your upper teeth follow the
curvature of your upper lip?
- Do any of your teeth
appear short and fat or too
small or too large?
- Are the edges of any of
your teeth even with the
rest of your teeth or are
they too long or too short?
- Do your teeth (as a
group) slant one way or
another?
- Is the midline of your
two front teeth centred with
your face and nose?
- Are the edges of your
canine teeth too long,
sharp, or look out of line?
- Do you grind your teeth
or are any of the biting
edges on your teeth chipped
or worn down?
- Do you have a "gummy"
smile -- showing too much
gum tissue or having gums
that are too thick?
- Are your gums even and
in line and symmetrical or
irregularly shaped -- higher
on some teeth and lower on
others?
- Have your gums receded
or do they appear red or
puffy?
- Do you have any grey,
black or silver dental
fillings in your teeth?
- Do you have any old
crowns that have dark edges
at the top or that don't
really look natural?
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