In a recent poll of Britons run by a teeth whitening company, Christie Brinkley and Denzel Washington won the title of having the best celebrity smiles. It’s hard to know how honest these polls are (the poll was released uncomfortably close to Brinkley’s book Timeless Beauty and the debut of her new cosmetics line), but they do give us the opportunity to talk about some of the features that make an attractive smile.
What Makes Brinkley’s & Denzel’s Smiles Stand Out
Christie Brinkley is now making a stir on the basis of her ageless appearance, and a great deal of that can be attributed to her smile. Her smile has many attributes of youth, and that helps her maintain an ageless appearance. Whiteness helps, and her teeth are very white, which she also accentuates in many professional appearances with a deep red lipstick that tends toward the blue, which makes them look whiter and eliminates yellow shades. Her teeth are large, which also helps her look younger. Teeth tend to wear with age, so larger teeth look younger, and her central incisors–the two front teeth–are larger than her lateral incisors, which also helps because worn teeth tend to be the same height. Her teeth are also framed by full, luscious lips with curvature that accentuates her smile lines.
Denzel, for his part, helps show what makes masculine smiles different. Where Brinkley’s teeth have a little bit of a curve to them, Denzel’s teeth are more square. He also doesn’t have as much disparity between the central and lateral incisors–right or wrong, youth is not as important to attractiveness for men. And while his teeth have a natural lightness and his skin tone helps them look brighter, they don’t have the same level of whiteness that beams youth. For men, it’s important that teeth are a healthy color, but they don’t have to be as white.
You can look at more stars on the list to get a good idea about what makes some smiles really stand out.
Can You Get Your Favorite Star’s Smile?
When people come in for a smile makeover, they often start by saying they want Julia Roberts’ smile or Bradley Cooper’s smile. This is a good starting point for discussion–we can talk about what you like about those smiles and what you want to improve about your smile–but you have to understand that you can’t get and really don’t want someone else’s smile.
You can’t get a particular celebrity’s smile because the smile isn’t just the teeth. Yes, you can definitely take their advice on the best ways to clean their teeth, but a smile also includes the lips, the cheeks, and the eyes, too. It’s that harmonious whole that makes the smile.
And even if we could, say, take Brad Pitt’s teeth and put them in your mouth (first, ew!), it just wouldn’t look right. His teeth are proportioned and shaped to his face. In your face, they would just look off.
But we can take features from Jennifer Aniston’s smile, for example, and adapt them to your smile. This includes retaining all those great personality quirks that make your smile special so that you would end up with a smile that is better (for you) than any celebrity’s smile would be.
To start a discussion about your new, beautiful smile in Westchester County, please call for an appointment with a cosmetic dentist at Advanced Dentistry of Mohegan Lake.
