Daryl E. Malena DDS  Periodontics
10838 Old Mill Road
Omaha, Nebraska 68154
402 330 4100

The concept of beauty, and what constitutes it has been written about for thousands of years.  Because it is an individually determined ideal, no single philosopher seems to have summed up the total of what beauty actually is for each of us.  Maybe, for the individual it is more related to poetry. 

Psychologists and anthropologists have tried to scientifically determine what characteristics are universally considered to be aesthetic, especially to the other sex.  It is apparent that we subconsciously look for healthy features when we look at others.  Obvious signs of disease repel us.    

Some of it has to do with symmetry.  In spite of the fact that all of our left sides look a little different than are right, the more symmetrical we look, the healthier we look--and that is one of the features we find attractive.  This principle of symmetry is one that we often can achieve in the smile, sometimes quite easily.

Another universal feature seems to be youthfulness.  We find people who look a bit young (for their age) more attractive than those who look more worn. In the dentition, this is indicated by the shapes of the teeth and the gingiva.  Slightly rounded corners at the edges of incisors subconsciously suggest youth to us--square, worn edges suggest age.  This too is sometimes extremely easy to achieve.  Whiteness is another youthful characteristic.  Most dentists can help you whiten your teeth. 

One of the more important youthful and attractive features of a smile is the shape of the papillae--the points of the gum tissue--between the upper front teeth.  Smoking, periodontal disease, frenum attachments and age all take their toll on the papillae.  Surgical reconstruction of papillae is one of the most hotly debated topics at each meeting of the American Association of Periodontology--it seems no one has created a magic procedure that works every time.  For that reason we always warn patients that multiple procedures may be necessary, and we invent ways to disguise damage that has occurred.  

The internet has lots of resources for you.  Below are just a few.  If you find one that is particularly good, let us know.  We might want to list it here.

http://goldennumber.net/beauty.htm
http://www.cosmetic-dentist-toronto.com/principles.html
http://www.goldenmeangauge.co.uk/dental4.htm
http://pioneer-cosmo.com/english/abeauty.phtml

Select from the topics above, or use the Search feature to find what you are looking for. If you have questions, feel free to contact us.