A secret to effortless smile that most orthodontists don’t want you to know about.
Everyone thinks the secret to great smile is having straight teeth, but this is not true.
I went through traditional orthodontics where they straightened my teeth out but I was left dissatisfied with the results… so much so that I am going through it all over again for the second time to do it right this time.
Secret of Exquisite Smile
Do not believe the hype about orthodontics that say straight teeth will give you a great smile.
The secret to the greatest smile on planet earth is not how straight the teeth is but how forward it is in your the face.
The beautiful smile is created by the jaws that developed forwards in the face and teeth positioned far out as possible in the palate, so that all the person has to do is slightly open their lips and it reveals a beautiful wide dental arch. This is called the effortless smile, because it means exactly that. There is no effort to put on a great smile. The person can slightly open their lips and its already a great smile.
Picture above is Gackt’s smile a famous rock musician from Japan, he is an example of having this perfect smile. Notice how effortless he is wearing that smile on his face. See how very slightly he is opening his lips, without straining any facial muscles (Effortless) but still revealing a perfect smile that exudes confidence and joy.
In the US and most modernized countries including Japan, since most are getting orthodontics this type of smile is rare.
The perfect smile is those smiles that stop you dead in your tracks, you have encountered them time to time maybe in your social circles or stranger at some social event. You find yourself seemingly enchanted by its spell. The perfect row of teeth seems to show even by the slightest opening of the lips. These individuals smile often.
you think to yourself, “wow that person has a smile that lightens up the whole room”
When we straighten our teeth with braces, the braces are forcing the teeth to align by pulling the teeth back. This causes the teeth to go back in the face and also it is bringing the whole jaw back in the face with it, especially if there are extractions.
This is quite literally the opposite direction to developing the perfect smile.
It creates straight teeth but since it is now further back in the face, a slight opening of the lips hides the teeth in shadow. One has to now smile big and wide for the teeth to show. This creates a smile that requires effort to produce and in the end it is inferior to the smile that is forwards in the face.
Orthodontic Smile
Perhaps it is easiest to understand in pictures. Most may not realize this but a lot of the celebrities in Hollywood have imperfect smiles that were created by orthodontics. (imo made worse by orthodontics…)
Tom Cruise is an example of smile created by braces. His teeth has been pulled back in the face, the arch is more narrow, so to show a good smile to the public he has to open his lips wide. Notice how much wider he has to open his lips compared to Gackt’s smile. You can tell by the cheek creases. Tom Cruise always takes pictures with this really big open smiles because he will not be able to pull off a more natural, lips half open smile like Gackt’s. Perhaps this is why he is known for always having big grins. His jaws are in fairly good positions (still pretty forward) which gives him a fairly good appearance, & most people will not detect any flaws.
Christiano Ronaldo is another example of orthodontic teeth that is not far enough forward. Slight opening of the lips (picture on left) does not show a smile, but more of a smirk because not enough teeth show to create a smile. This is more to do with structure than what he is trying to portray. He has to open his lips a lot further out (picture on right) to finally show an actual smile. Also there is a tendency to smirk to his left, again this is because of the palate. He would benefit greatly from some palate expansion work and bringing some of those teeth forwards in the face.
Emma Watson’s (picture on left) smile with lips slightly open, notice it doesn’t seem like she’s really joyously smiling much. Her front teeth has been pulled back by orthodontics. She has to open her lips as wide as the picture on the right to display a smile.
Picture angles are different but you can still see how Gackt’s teeth slant outwards while Emma’s teeth slant more inwards/vertical, and how this causes the lips to be more narrow, while Gackt’s forward teeth hold the lips further out and wider so the smile is there with ease with the lips half open.
Hollywood is far from perfect
I have picked the 3 individuals above because they are still considered good looking people by modern standards, however they are still far from perfect. All had orthodontics to create “straight” teeth smile which is really teeth that have been pulled back.
Braces are so common even in Hollywood and we come to accept them as the norm or even a path to beauty. But many are not aware of what is actually being lost when we use braces to try to fix our smiles. & it is not a true path towards Facial Beauty.
The Cost of Losing Effortless Smile
In the pursuit of getting straight teeth, we are losing our abilities to create effortless smiles.
To the untrained eye these effects are not easily noticed.
We see the person smiling big and wide and do not see any crooked teeth and feel that they have perfect smile.
However to the individual, they will feel that their smile only looks good when they smile big and wide, and not look so good when they smile slightly with half open lips or near impossible. It will feel as if their lips are not supported by their teeth. They will become in tune with this, and they now have to fabricate a good smile. The smile requires effort and an act instead of being spontaneous.
Not having the ability to put on a effortless smile will begin to impede on their personality, diminishing their ability to produce effortless joy and confidence. (although they may be less aware of this if they never had the forward teeth to begin with)
The Perfect Smile & What Does It Look Like
(Pic on left) Notice how very slightly he has his lips open, but it is producing a confident smile as his forward teeth is supporting his whole lips to be open.
If teeth are pulled back especially by braces this is not possible because teeth are too far back to support the lips open in this way.
(Second pic) When he does smile big and wide, it produces the exquisite smile that showcases rows of teeth that seems to go on for miles. This is the smile that appears as if he has more teeth than our celebrities above. It is forward in the face to be displayed to the world and the arch is sweepingly wider than above celebs.
(Pic on far right) Even without trying when he takes his lips to one side, it creates a smile. This is the true smirk and notice how relaxed it appears compared to Ronaldo’s smirk that involves all kinds of facial muscles to create it.
This is the smile that we should be after.
This is the smile that has the power to impact others and lighten up the whole room.
My Personal Story
To make it brief, I went through traditional orthodontics that took all my teeth back. I had straight teeth but I did not have the effortless smile. To present a smile to the world I had to smile big and wide. This robbed my spontaneous ability to smile at others and I felt my teeth were no longer supporting my lips when I talked.
I had retracted teeth more severe than the average people getting orthodontics because mine involved extraction of 4 teeth. Long story short I got tired of it all and decided to go through orthodontics a second time to reverse what was done and to bring the teeth back forwards.
It’s now been 2 years of this reversal journey. This past weekend I went to a techno concert with several buddies of mine including several women amongst our group from different social groups. I was surprised how much more confident I have become in social situations. My ability to continue to spark conversation with others has made a dramatic improvement and even more noticeable my voice seem to have become more resonant, louder, and clear as my palate has been widened and jaws were brought forward.
My friend had invited a separate group of people this weekend, whom I was completely new to. Different group from different social circle at first requires more work to get the conversation rolling, because you don’t know them, they don’t know you. Even with braces on which is affecting my confidence to some degree, It seemed I was leading the conversation of the group many times which I seldom done in the past. When the conversation would die down, I was able to pick it back up and spontaneously crack jokes and making others laugh.
Bringing teeth forward so far has had a massive positive impact on my self confidence. But not only that it seemed to be giving me social skills I didn’t know I had.
And the desire to converse with people was there now. While in the past with retruded teeth, I not only had lower self-esteem to converse with people but it seemed I had way less desire to. Certainly no desire to pick up the conversation of the group whom I’ve never met before, I would always count on other people to do that.
I still have more progress to make but the improvements so far has been quite noticeable this weekend.
What does the ideal smile / structure look on video?
I found a video of Gackt with English subtitles. It is worth the look for even a quick glance, you will better see what I am talking about in this article.
Note when he talks his whole lips are supported by his teeth that is very forward in the face. How even the slightest opening of the lips he is able to put on a natural smile. Note how this seems to feed into his self-confidence.
This is an example of smile that has been perfected by Nature not orthodontics. It is the smile that we should all be after, not poor band aid solution by getting braces.
We are talking about two completely different smiles. Even though straight teeth is commonality.
Conclusion
Avoid traditional orthodontics that use those train tracks, they always push your teeth back.
Look for orthodontics that expand your palate, and move the teeth forwards in the face.
Expanding the palate also moves your jaws forward in the face.
Finding the right orthodontist is easier said then done as most orthodontists still use train tracks.
If you have a 8-12 year old looking to get into braces avoid them at all costs.
Go for orthotropic option instead.
If you are already an adult it becomes a bit more challenging.
However I believe change is possible at any age, as I have certainly seen a lot of improvement over the years.
Moving towards better structure in adults is the pursuit of this blog & my life mission. There is just a lot to it then to go over in this 1 blog post alone. If you’re interested make sure to subscribe to the newsletter and to unlock exclusive content & progress reports where I can dive into this material deeper, you can join the membership.
-CP
hi Claiming Power,
Thank you for the great help you give people with your info. Some random questions, and please feel free to ignore any.
Did you get specific forward growth with your Biobloc appliance? On both jaws? Was it a particular type of Biobloc? Did you simultaneously expand laterally as well as forwards? And do you feel your lateral growth matched or exceeded the outward growth boasted by DNA?
What are your thoughts on the difference between expanding the upper and lower jaw? How easy is it to expand the lower jaw? Moreover, how do you get forward movement in your lower jaw? For what it’s worth, my dentist says that the lower jaw will simply “follow” an upper jaw forward without any appliance.
Re: Implants – Do you feel like there are any risks with implants; for example, is the new gum strong enough? I am also considering implants, even though my dentist did not propose it – he is advising me to close the ‘gap’ only by moving the back teeth forwards with braces.
Re: Teeth tipping. What are your thoughts on the ideal teeth angles – e.g. teeth leaning out of the mouth? And what about using appliances to try to create a couple of ‘unique’ teeth angles that give you character , rather than having a Tom Cruise-style set of ‘piano teeth’ that is too perfect?
I’m very impressed and happy for your great experience that you’re having. Best wishes!
On the top jaw biobloc alone gave me a lot of forward growth. The bottom jaw we used fixed brackets from the start and used coil springs to expand forwards, as well as I had acrylic appliance in 24/7 that expanded sideways.
My lateral growth exceeded DNA appliance. to get the same expansion I got with DNA, it would take 3-4x longer.
Lower jaw is harder to expand. & its not necessary to expand as much as the upper because the lower jaw will slide forwards. But most of us have very inward slant in the lower arch. You can get pretty good amount of expansion by gradually uprighting the teeth. and pushing it as far as possible outwards to the very ends of your gums. But there are limits, the teeth can not be tipped any further that the upright position. and once its at the edges of the bottom palate, you must wait till more bone forms around the teeth. Since there is no suture this way of expansion takes longer. THat isn’t to say most of us can still get plenty of expansion in the lower by this means in 2 years. Ultimately what matters more than the lower is the upper. But I do recommend everyone to atleast use some kind of appliance to begin to expand the lower slowly, sideways. if you had extractions, forwards as well.
implants – oral surgeon makes sure you have enough bone before doing implants. I was told I have pretty good bone density at the last appointment but if one doesn’t then bone graft have to be performed. I’d rather have implants than missing teeth and small palate, imo.
Tom Cruise “piano” teeth is far from perfect. It isn’t slanted because all the teeth were forced into unnatural positions by braces. Ultimately what gives the perfect angle on our teeth is having good tongue posture (against the upper palate) and having a good lip-seal (lip closed at rest) this is allowing our natural facial muscles to align the teeth. This creates the ideal teeth angles that is pleasant to the eyes. During orthodontic treatment shoot for the teeth to go forwards in the face, to slant them forwards, My front teeth was slanted forwards to the point it appeared I had more buck teeth but this was done purposely to allow the lower jaw to come forwards more. The teeth can always align later, the key is forwards, but most ortho are scared to bring them forwards in this fashion.
Just some random thoughts.
Re: Creating ideal angles – How would you define the ideal angles in different parts of the jaw? I’m not sure that I’m with your theory of the ideal being teeth forwards in the face. For me, the ideal smiles are something like the guys below (sure, some might argue with some of them):
http://wrightsmiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/closeup-of-healthy-male-smile-300×300.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lp4i460jNa1r0vmjto1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/a495543a7402e8c99e32d1e083f743e2/tumblr_mkhdj3oNXO1qeei0ao1_1280.jpg
http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1z71ffmaH1qa7bddo1_500.gif
http://33.media.tumblr.com/f468f5f5ad630169b99c7f21db5b9661/tumblr_mn1lwbryhW1qf9fo8o1_500.gif
http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9sj94617b1qgncflo1_500.jpg
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/fc/49/0a/fc490adaca70974cb7e1a2a47c392fa4.jpg
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/8e/fc/45/8efc45ab06c147227a060d4859a19b33.jpg
Inward slant ideal? –
As shown in the images, the ideal teeth angles are where the teeth slant ‘inwards’ on either sides, in my opinion. This would be one of my main goals from moving teeth, but I’m interested to know your thoughts on how to produce these angles – whether through the dentist’s appliance or one’s own methods without appliances – in addition to your earlier comments on this page. As for the ideal front angles, I’m not sure – from the images, it seems most of the guys’ teeth do not angle forwards but I may be wrong. I’d be interested to know your thoughts.
Another interesting issue for me is deliberately creating ‘flaws’ in an otherwise flawless result. So, one would purposely turn a couple of teeth at ‘altered’ angles in order to create an extra ‘unique’ look or boost ‘character’. Some of the people that are the most beautiful to me are those with a one or two slightly ‘askew’ teeth. Do you or anyone have any thoughts on creating a couple of ‘character flawed teeth’, whether professionally with appliances or even individually without appliances, such as through deliberate force on one or two teeth to move them slightly ‘out of shape’?
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N_dKcTC-ZLY/T0pQ-_xEuDI/AAAAAAAAD-o/ZeviOA7YHx8/s640/Brad+Pitt++smiling.jpg
The forward slant is the front 6 teeth, notice how Brad Pitt’s front teeth are slanting forwards in the face. Now from complete frontal view this may look like the teeth are slanting in, but really they are slanting forwards. Especially lateral incisor and canines. This creates a nice wide front arch that allows for relaxed perfect smile with lips half open.
http://images.medicaldaily.com/sites/medicaldaily.com/files/styles/large/public/2013/08/04/0/68/6807.jpg
Look at another picture of Brad above and notice his back teeth are not slanting inwards but rather just upright. This allows for those back teeth to show which creates the 10 teeth smile. (wide)
Since Brad’s teeth are forward in the face, notice even a big smile he does not show any gums.
That is one indicator of teeth or maxilla too far back, if the gums show during a big smile.
The pictures you posted of the different guys is hard to tell because it is from a distance, and they are smiling big and wide. Even with orthodontic smile when taken from a distance it could look normal.
IMO inward slant is never ideal, it is always result of improper swallowing and sign of prior orthodontics. Back teeth should be upright and the front teeth should slant slightly forwards.
Orthodontic treatment will differ depending on cases, but if your teeth are slanted back or too far back then you need some appliance to push those teeth out again, some forward expanding appliance or brackets wit oil springs.
The natural way cold be possible with great lip seal and tongue posture & good swallowing pattern.
deliberate flaw in teeth is an interesting one, I wrote about it before there’s top comedian in Japan who is most successful and most known for his protruding teeth, Akashiya Sanma, in his case the imperfect teeth seems to be a big factor to his success.
But even his teeth is very forward in the face.
People prefer teeth that is forward in the face because the smile becomes brighter and pleasing to look at.
As for purposely slanting teeth to add character, you’ll have to link a picture of someone with this feature because no one comes to mind for me.
Patricia Arquette http://images.toocharger.com/img/graphiques/fonds_d_ecran/celebrites_femmes/patricia_arquette/patricia_arquette.47506.jpg
Hi ClaimingPower. Again, please ignore questions that have been answered.
Re: Ideal teeth slants:
– What changes in teeth angles do appliances typically cause? For example, do they usually push teeth bottoms or teeth tops outwards or, in fact, they don’t change much the angles themselves?
Re: Tongue posture:
What do you think our tongues are actually capable of? Can long-term, considerable tongue pressure that goes beyond simply ‘resting’ the tongue on the roof – such as actively ‘pushing’ the tongue in a targeted place for several hours a day – be beneficial? Or maybe it is detrimental? Who knows?
Re: Making ‘flaws’ for ‘character’ – it’s hard to find a good picture of what I mean, but this is the best I can do. It’s just something I am thinking about:
http://maxcdn.fooyoh.com/files/attach/images/1068/480/662/007/jewel.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PLsYRWAnEZE/UWSl1tMY00I/AAAAAAAAQek/NRTyu8F8k-A/s1600/avril-lavigne-fangs.jpg
http://thisbugslifedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/ian-somerhalder5_180949-1920×1200.jpg
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/e6/56/0a/e6560a2f01e0f7afffd693bf98ca028d.jpg
Interesting article by the singer Jewel on the crooked teeth/character issue: http://www.redbookmag.com/fun-contests/celebrity/jewel-interview-on-her-crooked-teeth
Some quotes from another interesting article:
“Perfectly Imperfect”
“We all know—but sometimes forget—that there’s no such thing as perfection, especially when it comes to beauty. These stars remind us that quirks like a slight overbite or gap-toothed grin are what make a woman uniquely beautiful. A flawless face? No thank you. ”
http://static.glo.com/photos/Original/90479_Original.jpg
“The most famous pictures of Lauren Bacall show her casting her classic sultry gaze—with her mouth notably closed… Still, unlike other stars of the ’40s and ’50s, Bacall stuck with her own teeth, rather than opting for temporary porcelain veneers that delivered a megawatt Hollywood smile. ”
http://static.glo.com/photos/Original/90483_Original.jpg
“The Brits may be mocked for their less-than-straight teeth (think Austin Powers), but English actress and singer Jane Birkin became a style and beauty icon, imperfect ivories be damned. “Americans have the idea that uniformity is equivalent to looking good. The British character is more free-spirited, more radical,” said British dental professor Liz Kay in a BBC News article on American versus British teeth.”
http://static.glo.com/photos/Original/90477_Original.jpg
“The gap between French actress Vanessa Paradis’ front teeth makes Lauren Hutton’s own space look small. While we could rattle off a quick list of gap-happy beauties, Irwin Smigel, DDS, the so-called father of aesthetic dentistry, shares his assessment of the trend: “If someone is really beautiful, then the space makes them look a lot more natural,” he says. ”
Source: http://glo.com/beauty/why-crooked-teeth-will-always-be-in-7956.gallery#!stackState=0__%2Fbeauty%2Fwhy-crooked-teeth-will-always-be-in-7956.gallery%3FphotoId%3D90479
RE: Your Biobloc posted earlier: http://claimingpower.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/appliances.png?w=300
How did you get forward growth and gap with this? I can see how you got lateral expansion but I am confused how these enabled forward growth. In another article, you mentioned that the appliance has “springy metal wires that the ortho adjusts every month that gradually push teeth forward”. Perhaps I missed something or a different photo.
I ask because I am comparing your Biobloc to an appliance that I am considering – and they seem to be very different. On another page (http://claimingpower.com/jaw-development/), I wrote that my dentist is proposing a new device that specifically claims anterior (forward) growth. There seems to be literally nothing on the internet about this device – this comment may be one of the first mentions of it. I will find out more information about it and let you know.
RE: Perfect smile. For what it’s worth, here is my two cents. I actually find the smiles of Gackt and Brad Pitt to be unappealing – in particular, Gackt’s smile screams plastic and fake-looking to my eye – to the point of even being slightly creepy in some shots. I guess it would be interesting to find out specifically what I find unappealing about their smiles – they are close to smiles that I really like yet so far. I lived in Japan and there are many people there with more appealing, good-looking, wide, less ‘manufactured-looking’ smiles.
RE: ‘Flaws’. A brief note – I’d like to clarify that I threw in the issue of ‘flaws’ into the mix as something to think about. I’m not saying ‘flaws’ in teeth are the ideal smile. I am saying that, done minimally and well, ‘flaws’ have the ability to add considerable ‘character’.
the wires in front of the biobloc can be adjusted forwards each appointment which gradually bring the front teeth forwards.
the point about attractive smiles is, the #1 key is forward jaws.
I actually think that the best smiles are the “smiles with the eyes” and teeth don’t have that much importance. Of course wide arch male it better but the focus is on the eyes. I ~personnaly~ don’t find Gackt’s smile better than the 3 other celebrities.
Dear CP,
I agree with much of what you write, good logic.
For what it’s worth, I will point out two of your case examples are clinically misread:
Gackt’s features are not representative of the Orthotropic ideal. His face is a way off from the forward position necessary to be on standard. The porcelain veneers he has were done with inadequate preparation contribution to the bulky and protrusive presentation. I know as I spent 15 years of my practice eliminating this “stick on ” effect everyone hates visually.
The images in three quarter view show the dental overjet and the high mandibular plane angle and nasal/cartilaginous hook developed from vertical growth due to poor childhood oral posture. I wonder too if the incongruency of high cheekbone and low level of cheek hollowness may not intact be due to cosmetic implants?
Watson’s facial proportions are significantly closer to ideal though by no means perfect. Her face is relatively further forwards of her forehead and her jaw plane angle reasonable small. Her resting posture is naturally lip together but teeth slightly apart and tongue between molars. The effect which creates retroclination of her teeth and jaw setback. Her orthodontic therapy was brief and with light wires only likely due to her filming commitments. This had the hidden benefit of straightening teeth but due to her natural posture tendencies minimised orthodontic facial lengthening.
Her profile is much better than Gackt’s but as she was never one to smile open mouthed and began her public debute in childhood has undoubtably spent less time in front of the mirror practicing to appear good in front of the camera.
It has taken me another decade of orthodontic and Orthotropic practice on top of a decade and a half if cosmetic makeover practice to be able to be this observant so well done on your writings. All your other observations are good.
Regards,
Simon
thank you for your comment.
I’m not quite seeing what your describing about Gackt vs. Watson’s facial development.
I have found that Watson’s face is thinner in comparison to Gackt’s wider structure. Especially the sturdier lower jaw to me indicates he has the stronger muscle tone.
I found the closest comparison I could quickly find, of side profile view.
http://media3.onsugar.com/files/2014/04/15/949/n/1922153/c19df3ebaa2fd9ea_thumb_temp_image294399981371147587.preview_tall/i/Emma-Watson-Best-Beauty-Looks.jpg
http://japan-discoveries.com/images/4/mc_tops_gackt_gym%20suit%202010%20purple_04.jpg
Is Watson profile really much better/further forward than Gackts?
And looking at other pictures of Gackt’s solid mandible
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d42/niraeika/gackt/gackt2.jpg
http://nd01.jxs.cz/275/822/fb153e5ad0_46634245_o2.jpg
I’m not sure if I agree with the statement that he is “way off” from orthotropic ideal, while I would agree that when compared to some of the super models, the difference becomes much more obvious.
Dear CP,
Yes hard as it may appear to discern, Watson has a more forward profile than Gackt. There are a number if factors that come to play in both racial differences as well as postural compensations.
Orthotropic profiles are referenced off relatively simple criteria ; length of distance between nose tip to upper front tooth edge (compensated for racial difference in nose form), distance between edge of lower front tooth to chin border, facial position relative to the forehead seat perpendicularly and horizontal border of the lower jaw between the angle and the first notch along the border.
All modern people have reduced forward facial growth from poor oral posture. Reduction in airway dimensions from tongue encroachment into throat space triggers a reflex response of upward tilting the head to maintain throat patency. Neck and shoulder rounding then comes about to level eyes with horizon for balance equilibrium.
Often these postural compensations mask the extent of the lack of forward growth, sometimes to the extent of giving those with weaker forward growth the appearance of a better profile compared to someone who has better true forward growth. The two celebrities being case in point.
Further more Asian people have genetically shorter but broader cranial bases so the width of head and face is greater to begin with. Width is one component that is important but actually less so than depth which again defers to height.
We are very use to viewing faces from front on and at 3/4 view so pickup bias in our technical analysis. Profile views are more accurate in determining growth patterns those specific training is useful in gauging nuances.
Regards,
Simon
I am in this predicament with my 12yo daughter. She had a great smile…just some crooked teeth…after 4 extractions and almost 2 years her teeth have gone so far back i don’t see them enough. I never get a straight answer from the ortho as to why they just cant pull all the teeth forward. Apparently they are in allignment as they are supposed to be…but i’m devastated that she lost as you put it the ‘forward’ and effortless smile that she had. Any advice?
I myself have been devastated because of my own daughter’s extractions 3 years ago. She is now 18, and it is getting progressively worse. Her teeth and jaw continue to move back. We will be talking to an oral surgeon in January about maxilla surgery, but I have also been in touch with someone who uses Advanced Lightwire Functionals, and will try to have a consultation there soon. I don’t know what to do.
read my posts and learn as much as you can. I recommend my membership posts. You will begin to learn that muscle tone and tongue posture is more important than any appliance out there.
Thanks for the article. I hope this comment is not too late. Ever since after I’ve gotten braces when I was around 15yrs old, my smile became more and more crooked. Everything was fine before that. This becomes especially pronounced when I speak, as my lips shift to the right and up. It looks as if I’m always smirking when I’m talking, and it’s really bothering me. For the last month, I’ve been reading in front of a mirror everyday for 1 hour and trying to speak to the left side. But I haven’t seen a slight improvement. Do you have any suggestions about this? Any feedback would be really appreciated. Thanks again.
I have a pretty bad overbite and weak lower jaw but the overbite makes the lower jaw look a lot weaker than it is, it wouldn’t look nearly so bad without the overbite.
I’m a bit confused about the tongue training though.
If I trained my tongue to stay on the roof of my mouth wouldn’t that just push my top front teeth out more forwards instead of pushing my lower jaw out further? Or would the top front teeth recede in to meet the tongue or something?
At the moment I’m considering ceramic braces.
I think it has more to do with the muscles of the face that are being used for the smile rather than the teeth.