"The Perfect Smile"

[Toke]

I read a post somewhere, possibly not even on this forum, about a website that was designed for creating the perfect smile.

It talked about distancing between the teeth, how much of the upper and lower set of teeth to show and so on. The poster didnt know of the site's URL, and only refered to it.

I'm interested in checking this site out, as I've never had a natural fake smile. I tried practicing some smiles in the mirror, but am not happy with any of them.

I always had crooked teeth, and have only just recently gotten braces to fix that. So I guess my lack of smiling experience is due to my self consciousness.

 

[ozzfest]

practicing smiling? good lord...overkill

 

[Ofus]

You should check this out:

http://www.sosuave.com/articles/magic.htm

 

[Toke]

Yep, thats a good article. I remember reading it when I first started coming here.

So how do you learn to smile?

One word. PRACTICE!

Smiling is like any other behavior. To get good at it you have to practice. And practice. And practice.

Basically all the article does is say how and why smiling is good. Not what makes a smile itself good. Which is where I'm in the dark.

Like I said, smiling is not natural for me. I just need tips on setting up a decent smile. I figure just like my Karate, it will become instinct for me once I know it well enough

 

[italostud]

Originally posted by ozzfest
practicing smiling? good lord...overkill

Don't be so sure of yourself. A good smile is something that needs to be practiced sometimes. Especially if a child isn't exposed to a lot of smiling through their parents. In fact, in Asia, people pay good money to go to smiling seminars where they, get this, practice smiling. It's because in Asian culture, smiling isn't emphasized as much as it is over here.

 

[USSOCOM]

I'd like to add that a smile is only usefull in the right situation. If you smile at the wrong time, or too much, you will be thought of as a wuss.

 

[Toke]

I never smile... its just not my nature. The odd time a cute girl manages to bring a genuine smile out of me.
I'd like to be able to pull off that smile at anytime, as I think it'd be a very powerful tool

 

[numlock]

yeah it's really hard to reproduce a genuine smile

but i find that raising your eyebrows, widening your eyes a little bit, and giving a little grin looks pretty nice

sometimes when you catch a girl's eye there just isn't enough time to form a great smile.....you gotta react quick and flash her whatever you can come up with in the 2 microseconds she's looking at you

smiling is more of a total facial package as opposed to just movement of the mouth

 

[Charm]

Smiling - Photos Included

A genuine smile can be easily replicated with Practice. It will be a feeling of joy in the eyes and mouth that make it genuine. The eyes squin slightly, the vision of the actual eye focusses in on the forward target more clearly... etc..

First, an example of what you DO NOT WANT TO do. This is a half-way, incomplete smile: Incomplete Smile

Here are some examples of genuine smiles:

Genuine Fake Smile #1

Smile #2

Asian Man Smiling

Tough Guy Smiling

Happy Man Smile

 

[jakethasnake]

The creases around the eyes are the KEY. That is the mark of a genuine smile. A nice pair of dimples don't hurt you, either. Lucky me.

 

[Toke]

Thanks charm, thats more what i'm looking for. Not the site I was hopin for, but helpful non the less.

I was practicing some smiles last night in the mirror, couldnt make anything I was happy with. I remember doing that always the morning of picture day at school. Look at about any one of my school pics and I'm either:
a) not smiling
b) managing some horribly fake smile
c) actually smiling (I think there's like 2 of these)

 

[mahon83050]

Originally posted by jakethasnake
The creases around the eyes are the KEY. That is the mark of a genuine smile. A nice pair of dimples don't hurt you, either. Lucky me.

Yea dimples are a bonus. I have two big ones, but they do not show with a big smile. They only show when I grin or make certain facial gestures.

 

[Charm]

Veneers/Caps

Many people don't like smiling more than the lips because they are not confident showing off their teeth. Many people see models and Cosmo and popular actors today and think, "These people have perfect teeth and perfect smiles..." - It's true, many wore braces, but there is also a great secret many don't know about. The majority of these models/actors have "Caps or Veneers" -

Caps cover the entire tooth and veneers cover the front of a tooth. It is a cosmetic dentistry procedure that is becoming increasingly more popular. It can literally give a person with a poor smile a picture perfect smile. It can significantly help a person with a less than perfect smile have the perfect smile they've always wanted. I believe a poll was done showing that over 95% of the people who received caps or veneers were more satisfied with the After-effects then they were with their previous teeth.

The con of this is that the procedure is expensive, ranging between 400-1000/tooth depending on where you go. You only need to usually cap/veneer the Top 6 teeth, sometimes the top 8. The total procedure could cost between 2500-6000 depending on who you go to.

This may be the solution many here without perfect smiles are looking for. Visit a cosmetic dentist who can take your photo and then using a special computer they have, show you what you'll look like after the procedure.

Good Luck.

 

[Starman]

I dont smile, I smirk and give the head nod

Downward head nod - to say "how you doing" /I notice you

Upward head nod = hey whats up!

 

[Zoso]

I'm the same way, Toke. That's why I hate getting my picture taken. It's not embarassment about my teeth, so much as that it just seems unnatural. In social situations I usually end up doing the nod like Starman, but I know a smile would probably be better. Especially since I usually look kinda.. grim.. when I don't smile. I'd be interested in seeing this article too, if someone can find it.