What are the main types of smiles?
Dentists classify smiles by anatomy: the smile line (high, average or low, meaning how much tooth and gum show), the smile arc (consonant, flat or reverse), the width (broad or narrow, with or without dark corners), symmetry, and the way the lips move. A gummy smile is a high smile line. None of these is a defect on its own; at Creative Arts in Dubai, treatment is considered only when a feature bothers you or points to a problem.
How do dentists classify types of smiles?
In everyday speech, "types of smiles" can mean anything from a shy grin to a genuine laugh. In dentistry it means something measurable: what your lips, gums and teeth do when you smile fully. A dentist assessing a smile looks at five features:
- Smile line: how high the upper lip lifts, and so how much tooth and gum are on show.
- Smile arc: the curve formed by the biting edges of the upper front teeth, compared with the curve of the lower lip.
- Width: how many teeth show towards the corners of the mouth, and how much dark space sits beside them.
- Symmetry: whether the midline, gum heights and lip movement match on both sides.
- Lip pattern: which muscles do the lifting, which shapes the outline of the smile.
These describe the anatomy of your smile. They are different from the style a new smile could be designed in, such as natural or bright, which our guide to smile design styles covers. The exact measurements dentists use for each feature are set out in the proportions of a balanced smile.
Types of smiles at a glance
A general guide. Many smiles combine several of these features, and most need no treatment at all.
| Smile type | What you see | Common causes | Treatment that may fit, if wanted |
|---|---|---|---|
| High smile line (gummy smile) | All of the upper teeth plus a band of gum above them | Gum covering part of the teeth, a short or very mobile upper lip, over-erupted front teeth, or a long upper jaw | Gum contouring, orthodontics, or jaw surgery for skeletal cases; often nothing |
| Average smile line | Most of the upper teeth and the tips of gum between them | Typical lip and tooth proportions | Usually none; any work is about the teeth themselves |
| Low smile line | Less than three-quarters of the upper teeth; little or no gum | A longer upper lip, worn or short teeth, natural ageing | Restoring worn edges with bonding or veneers; often nothing |
| Consonant smile arc | Upper edges curve in parallel with the lower lip | Natural tooth lengths and an even bite | None; it is the curve smile design aims for |
| Flat or reverse smile arc | Edges form a straight line, or curve upwards in the middle | Wear and grinding, tooth position, earlier treatment | Lengthening edges with bonding or veneers, orthodontics, a night guard |
| Narrow smile (wide dark corners) | Few teeth visible towards the corners; dark triangles beside them | A narrow upper arch or back teeth tipped inwards | Orthodontic alignment; veneers on premolars in selected cases |
| Asymmetric smile | Midline off-centre, or one side higher than the other | Tooth position, uneven gums, lip muscles or the jaw | Depends on the cause; see uneven smile |
A feature in this table is only a reason for treatment if it bothers you or signals a dental problem such as wear or gum disease.
What is a high smile line, and is a gummy smile a problem?
A high smile line shows the full length of the upper front teeth and some gum above them. A small amount of gum is normal and often reads as youthful. When a wide band shows, it is usually called a gummy smile. It is a cosmetic concern, not a disease, unless the gums themselves are inflamed.
The treatment that fits depends entirely on the cause, which is why diagnosis comes first:
- Gum covering part of the teeth (the teeth look short and square): reshaping the gum line with a laser, called gum contouring, can reveal more tooth. Where bone sits too close, the procedure is more involved.
- Front teeth that have over-erupted, often with a deep bite: orthodontics can level the teeth; see overbite correction.
- A short or very mobile upper lip: the teeth and gums may be perfectly normal. Dental treatment cannot change how far the lip lifts.
- A long upper jaw (skeletal): corrective jaw surgery is the only way to change the proportion, and is reserved for patients who want it after a full discussion.
Our guide to gummy smile causes explains how dentists tell these apart.
Average and low smile lines: what changes with age
An average smile line shows most of the upper teeth and just the points of gum between them; the edges of any restoration can sit discreetly at the gum.
A low smile line shows less of the upper teeth and little or no gum. It is forgiving for crowns and veneers, since the edge at the gum is hidden, but it can make a smile look less lively. It often deepens with age: the upper lip lengthens over the years, so less of the upper teeth and more of the lower teeth show, and worn edges add to the effect.
The treatment question for a low smile line is usually about tooth length. Restoring worn edges with composite bonding or veneers can bring the teeth back into view, but only after the bite has been checked, because the forces that wore the teeth will act on the new edges too. Our page on the smile makeover after 50 covers this in detail.
Consonant, flat and reverse smile arcs
Draw a line along the biting edges of your upper front teeth while you smile. In a consonant smile arc, that line curves gently downwards in the middle and follows the curve of the lower lip. The central teeth are slightly longer than the canines.
In a flat arc, the edges form a straight line; in a reverse arc, the central teeth are shorter than the canines, so the line curves upwards. Flat and reverse arcs tend to make a smile look older or harder, which is why lengthening the central teeth slightly is one of the most common changes in cosmetic planning.
The usual causes are wear from grinding or acidic drinks, teeth that erupted at different levels, or how earlier orthodontic treatment was finished. When wear is the cause, the bite needs protecting (often with a night guard) before or alongside any cosmetic work. The arc can then be restored with bonding, veneers or, if tooth position is the cause, orthodontics. A worn arc is covered in more depth on our worn teeth page.
Not sure which features of your smile are worth changing? A smile makeover plan sets out each treatment option next to the problem it solves, and you see a mock-up before anything is prepared.
See how a smile makeover is plannedBroad or narrow smile: what the dark corners mean
When you smile, small dark spaces appear between the outer teeth and the corners of the mouth. Dentists call them buccal corridors. Some shadow is normal and gives a smile depth. A narrow smile shows wide dark corridors and few teeth; a broad smile shows teeth almost to the corners.
A narrow smile is usually caused by the shape of the upper arch rather than the teeth: the arch is narrow, or the premolars are tipped inwards. Orthodontic alignment can widen the visible arch where the teeth and bone allow, and the specialist orthodontists judge how much change is realistic for an adult. In selected cases, veneers on the premolars can bring them forward, but only when those teeth are sound and the plan calls for it.
Wider is not automatically better. A smile filled edge to edge with bright teeth can look artificial, which is one reason good smile design keeps some natural shadow at the corners.
Asymmetric and crooked smiles: four different causes
A smile can look lopsided for reasons that need completely different solutions:
- Teeth: crowded or rotated teeth, a midline that has drifted, or a tooth that is shorter than its partner. Orthodontics, bonding or veneers may help, depending on the tooth.
- Gums: gum heights that differ from one side to the other, which gum contouring can often even out.
- Lips: one side of the upper lip lifts higher. This is common and normal; it is a muscle pattern, and no dental treatment changes it, although the design can be balanced around it.
- Jaw: a skeletal asymmetry, sometimes with a crossbite. This is assessed by the orthodontists and, where needed, a maxillofacial surgeon.
Photographs and a short video of your smile usually show which of these is responsible. The uneven smile page explains how the cause is found and the options for each.
Smile types by lip movement
Smiles are also grouped by the muscles that lift the lips. In the most common pattern, the corners of the mouth pull up and out first and the upper lip follows. In a second, the centre of the upper lip lifts higher and shows the canines prominently. In a less common third, upper and lower lips move together and show both rows of teeth.
Your lip pattern is not something to treat, but it decides which teeth and how much gum are on show. It is also why dentists photograph both a relaxed smile and a full, genuine one: a posed smile often hides what a real laugh shows.
Hollywood or natural is a style, not a type of smile
Terms such as Hollywood, celebrity or natural describe how a smile is designed to look, not its anatomy. Your smile type sets the limits a design has to work within. A Hollywood Smile on a high smile line, for example, has to deal with the gum as well as the teeth.
Which treatment fits your type of smile?
Most people have a mix of features, most of them fine as they are. As a rule of thumb:
- The gum is the issue (high or uneven smile line): gum contouring, sometimes with orthodontics, before any work on the teeth.
- Tooth length or edge shape is the issue (low line, flat or reverse arc): bonding or veneers, once the bite is protected.
- Tooth position is the issue (narrow, crowded or off-centre smile): orthodontics first, which often reduces how many teeth need restoring later.
- Colour is the only issue: whitening, which removes no tooth at all.
At Creative Arts in Dubai, the assessment includes photographs and a scan, and the proposed change is shown in a digital smile design and a physical mock-up before anything irreversible. You receive a written, itemised plan with the alternatives, including the option of doing less, or nothing.