Enjoy reading and smile God loves you...
Most of us want a beautiful smile. Now US researchers have come up with a formula for the perfect grin.
Dr Nicholas Davis, of Loma Linda University School of Dentistry in Southern California, who led the research, said the actress Jessica Simpson had most people's idea of the perfect smile and the one he and his colleagues get asked to reproduce the most.
In the report - published in the journal Dental Clinics of North America - the study's authors conclude that:
- The top row of teeth should be dominant, while very little should be seen of the bottom row.
- If the central teeth are too long, they interfere or impinge on the lower lip.
- The teeth on display should be straight.
- There should not be any signs of restoration work.
- The teeth's size should decrease from front to back.
- The ideal width of a smile should not be less than half the width of the face.
- Both upper and lower lips should be symmetrical to each side of the mid-line of the face.
- To avoid a horsy smile, the visibility of gums should be as little as possible.
The researchers also said that a bright white, over-bleached smile should be avoided. Instead the whiteness of the teeth should match the whites of the eyes or the smile stands out too much and detracts from the rest of the face.
Here are some tops tips to keep your smile looking perfect:
- Always brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
- Only have 'safe' drinks, which are not sugary or acidic. Milk and water are 'safe' drinks. So are tea and coffee if you do not add sugar to them (you can use non-sugar sweeteners). All fizzy drinks (including 'diet' brands and fizzy mineral water), all squashes and all fruit juices are acidic to varying degrees.
- Only have 'safe' snacks between meals. Fruits, vegetables and products such as sandwiches, toast, crumpets and pitta bread are all 'safe' snacks.
- Eat at least five portions of vegetables and fruit every day.
- Chew sugarfree gum after eating when it's not possible to brush. This increases the flow of saliva, which helps teeth to repair themselves.
