Correcting a Slanted Smile
Correcting a slanted smile depends on several possible origins of the problem. One of the problems could be the patient’s lip. If the patient smiles higher on one side of her face than the other side, the smile can look slanted. But if the teeth are actually slanted towards one side, then the teeth need to be corrected.
However, this patient has a TMJ type wear pattern to her bite and actually wore down the teeth on one side more than the other side. The cosmetic dentist needs to be able to see the entire face before treating anything that might be “slanted” in order to diagnose the treatment correctly. Grinding her teeth gave her a slanted smile.
Correcting a Worn and Slanted Smile
She saw Dr. Muslin on "The Doctors" television show talking about his trademarked treatment Face Lift Dentistry ®. After seeing the remarkable results that Dr. Muslin achieved with his patients she knew it was her chance to have the smile she always wanted.
She had been grinding and wearing down her teeth for years. As her teeth shortened less of her upper teeth were visible when she spoke and when she smiled. Her grinding over the years had eroded through the enamel which left just the dentin exposed in several places. Because this degree of wear is rarely symmetrical, one side had suffered greater trauma leaving her entire smile slanted to the left. Dr. Muslin needed to reverse years of grinding trauma, re-balance her bite, lengthen all of her teeth, and make her smile symmetrical again.
Treating Worn Teeth
After the consultation appointment, Dr. Muslin began the treatment with models of the patient, complex motion tomography images of her jaw in all of the various states (for example: at rest, biting hard, wide open), and over 40 photos. He began planning the treatment by studying the photos and x-rays to understand the functional and aesthetic details of her face, teeth, and jawline. Once a preliminary plan was in place he reviewed the treatment with her to fine tune every detail.
Correcting a Slanted Smile with Facelift Dentistry ®
Using a combination of veneers and crowns Dr. Muslin designed the length of each tooth to re-position her jaw in such a way that the slant in her smile was corrected. Facelift Dentistry ® is a very complex treatment that requires an in-depth understanding of jaw function because the window of error is a fraction of a millimeter. The length adjustments also allowed far more of her upper teeth to show which is a more youthful look.
Gum Microsurgery
Not only did Dr. Muslin re-build the functional dynamics of her bite but he also did microsurgery to the tissue on the left side of her mouth. As you can see in her before photos there is too much gum present on the left. Dr. Muslin was able to lift and treat the gum so that it was prepared to merge with the new shape of the porcelain that was planned for that side. This is a very minor surgical modification that very few dentists have the foresight to identify in their treatment plans. These types of minor details make all the difference in the world and they are what distinguish Dr. Muslin from the crowd.
Gum microsurgery by Dr Muslin is a very minor procedure that does not require stitches or time off from work. He has a highly specialized treatment that he has developed over the years that is virtually painless even the day after surgery. Several of Dr. Muslin's patients have told us that the treatment was so easy that it was over before they even knew it had started. (Read more about Gum Care.)
At her next appointment it was time to try in her new smile and jaw position. After temporarily placing the restorations on the teeth she took time to look at herself in both artificial light and outside in the sun. She said "this is such an improvement" after which Dr. Muslin bonded the work into place.
A Wider and Younger Smile
Take a look at the corners of her mouth in the before photo which are dark and in shadow. Because Dr. Muslin widened her entire smile the shadows are now filled with white porcelain. This is what makes her smile so much fuller and more impactful.
To compliment her facial features a softer and rounder shape was designed for each of her teeth. As we grind our teeth down over the years they become more squared at the corners and sometimes they even look sawed off. To capture a more youthful look we must restore the length to the teeth and also a more rounded shape.
Her smile is balanced and level, her teeth have a youthful length, and her jaw is properly positioned. When we called to check in with her the day after her treatment she said "I am in love with my smile, thank you very much, I am so happy".