Reverse Smile Line and Worn Front Teeth: Is Your Smile Older Than You?
What a Pleasing Smile Should Show
- Pleasing tooth length
- Pleasing dominance of the central incisors
- A pleasing, moderately convex smile arc
- Pleasing progression of the incisal embrasures
- High, pleasing brightness
- Symmetry as an adjunct to proportion, display and length
What We Saw Instead
- Lack of pleasing tooth length
- Lack of pleasing central incisor dominance
- Accelerated tooth wear, destroying the pleasing appearance of the smile
Chief Complaint
Worn smile line and discoloured teeth.
Initial Presentation:
The reverse smile line had created a negative anterior space, described by Tjan et al. (1984) as the least aesthetic smile configuration.
This dark anterior corridor needed to be restored to correct the interplay of all compositional elements in anterior smile dynamics, filling the missing tooth mass lost to accelerated wear, changes in facial tone, and the natural loss of collagen and elastin fibres over time.
Initial presentation showed:
- Worn smile line
- Anterior negative space
- Loss of lip support
- Enhanced nasolabial folds
Treatment (2007): One Visit Smile Lift™
Restoring lost tooth mass is as much an art form as a clinical procedure, complementing nature to achieve both aesthetic and functional outcomes. Respecting the underlying biology is what makes the result last. This was achieved using direct composite technology, in a single visit, with no drilling, no injections and no discomfort to the patient, at a fraction of the cost of more invasive options.
Final Presentation 2007
The reverse smile line and anterior negative space were corrected, restoring lip support and softening the nasolabial folds, all completed in one visit. The result gave the patient an affordable yet elegant smile that complemented her facial aesthetics.
Ten Years On: Time for a Change (2017)
By 2017, the composite restorations placed in 2007 had naturally worn after a decade of service. The patient’s goal remained the same: “I want to regain my youthfulness.” The upper arch still presented with a negative pitch of the maxilla (a reverse ladder effect), which had originally been corrected with composite. This time, the worn composite veneers were replaced with new, minimal-intervention eMax ultra-thin porcelain veneers.
2017 Outcome
Ten years on, the new porcelain veneers restored and complemented the patient’s facial aesthetics, giving the smile a renewed sense of harmony and balance between the dentition and surrounding soft tissues.
Final Treatment Outcome
Aesthetics, comfort and function were restored across both stages of treatment, with a meaningful complement to the patient’s facial aesthetics throughout. Most importantly, the result was a confident, happy patient over a decade of care.
Registered Specialist
Prosthodontist & Implant Surgeon
B.D.S. (Hons), Dip. Clin. Dent. (Oral Implants) Uni Syd, M. Clin. Dent (Prosth) King’s College, Uni London D. Clin. Dent (Prosth) Uni Syd, FRACDS, MRACD (Prosth)
What Our Patients Say
Here are just a few reflections from patients featured in our case studies. Every story is different, but each one speaks to the power of feeling proud of your smile again.
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