CATEGORY AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST 43 Looking beyond the smile Dentists are uniquely positioned to appreciate facial analysis because we already perform many aspects of it every day. Smile design extends well beyond selecting tooth shade or restorative material. We routinely evaluate facial symmetry, lip support, incisal display, gingival architecture and profile before beginning treatment. The most successful restorative outcomes occur when the smile complements the face rather than competing with it. Cosmetic medicine simply expands this concept. The lips should support the smile – not dominate it. Chin projection influences the apparent prominence of both the upper and lower lips. Midface support affects the depth of the nasolabial folds, while the activity of the mentalis muscle can influence lower facial proportions and lip competence. When these structures are considered together, treatment becomes considerably more predictable. The patient may believe they require lip filler. A comprehensive assessment may instead reveal that improving chin projection or restoring midface support will naturally enhance lip appearance while maintaining facial balance. Facial thirds provide a useful framework One of the simplest methods of facial analysis is to divide the face horizontally into thirds: u the upper third, extending from the hairline to the glabella u the middle third, from the glabella to the subnasale u the lower third, from the subnasale to the menton. These divisions are not intended as rigid ideals but rather as reference points that help clinicians recognise disproportion. Ageing frequently alters these relationships. Progressive bone resorption, dental wear, tooth loss and changes in occlusion may reduce lower facial height. Conversely, excessive gingival display or vertical maxillary excess may produce the appearance of a disproportionately long lower third. Understanding these proportions is particularly familiar to dentists, who routinely assess lower facial height during restorative and prosthodontic treatment. Rather than attempting to create three perfectly equal segments, clinicians should ask a more clinically useful question: What anatomical factors have created this patient's proportions, and are they contributing to the presenting concern? Width matters as much as height Facial fifths provide another valuable assessment tool. Viewed from the front, the face can be divided into five approximately equal vertical sections. This simple exercise CLINICAL NEW IMPROVED TOOTHPASTE FORMULA A professional maintenance toothpaste combining Chlorhexidine Gluconate 0.07% w/w, Potassium Nitrate 5% w/w and Sodium Fluoride 0.221% (1000ppm) in a balanced daily formulation SINCE 1989
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