The Three Types Of Smiles

A smile is an expressive form that conveys various forms of emotion, according to UW psychology professor Paula Niedenthal. According to her, smiles can be divided into three distinct types.

Reward, affiliation and dominance smiles serve various functions such as providing positive feedback, showing affiliation and signaling superiority (Martin et al., Citation 2018).

For a complex smile іn Maple, consult with a qualified cosmetic dentist.

The Cuspid Smile

Approx. 31% of the population exhibit the “Mona Lisa smile”, also known as the “Clown Face Smile”, when greeting one another socially such as in elevators or public areas such as parks. When showing the “Mona Lisa Smile”, upper lips are pulled upward uniformly revealing anterosuperior teeth (Fig. 1A). Examples of celebrities who possess this signature pattern of smiling include Eva Longoria, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, and Jennifer Aniston (see Fig. 1C). Examples include Eva Longoria; Angelina Jolie (Fig 1C); Tom Cruise; Jennifer Aniston; Eva Longoria; Angelina Jolie (Fig 1B); Tom Cruise and Jennifer Aniston have similar smile patterns (see Figure 1A). Celebrities that possess this smile pattern include Eva Longoria; Angelina Jolie (Fig 1C); both celebrities with famous smile patterns include Eva Longoria), Angelina Jolie Tom Cruise; Jennifer Aniston all possess this pattern). Some celebrities who possess it include Eva Longoria; Angelina Jolie; Tom Cruise) as well as Tom Cruise; also, Tom Cruise himself has seen him donning Tom Cruise! Also Tom Cruise). Also featuring This smile pattern include Eva Longoria who have seen him performing this one of course). Celebrities that exhibit this smile pattern include Eva Longoria Longoria Angelina Jolie). Tom Cruise as well as Tom Cruise; as well as Tom Cruise himself! Tom Cruise as well as Tom Cruise himself who both celebrity have.

Commissure Smiles are another common choice and involve contracting of the levator labii superioris to expose cuspids before contracting of corners of mouth to pull lips up and outward to form an impressive diamond shape. Julia Roberts, Britney Spears and Cameron Diaz all have this beautiful yet healthy look in their smiles! Celebrities that sport it include Julia Roberts, Britney Spears and Cameron Diaz.

Complex Smiles are rarer, but can still make an impressive statement about health and beauty. In this type of smile, both upper and lower lips actively pull when smiling to show both upper and lower teeth simultaneously – something which celebrities such as Sandra Bullock, Oprah Winfrey and Julia Roberts possess. This smile style can create an attractive, healthy and fantastic way to showcase pearly whites! Celebrities known to boast this look include Sandra Bullock, Oprah Winfrey and Julia Roberts among many others.

As part of an aesthetic smile, another key feature is the buccal corridor – which measures the distance between the smile arc and first molars. For optimal esthetics, an ideal buccal corridor should be narrow or nonexistent; otherwise it can create a “gummy smile”, which must be corrected through orthodontic therapy.

The Commissure Smile

The commissure smile involves wide movement of the lower lip and exposes more maxillary anterior teeth than either cuspid or complex smile. It is one of the most commonly seen expressions and often considered more natural forms of smiling.

The anatomy of a commissure smile is similar to that of the cuspid smile: The levator labii superioris and zygomaticus major muscles contract and elevate lips to form the nasolabial fold; lips then move further forward and outward, revealing upper central and lateral incisors; then finally, the perioral muscles and corners of mouth contract to complete this smile, giving an “gull wing” effect typically found among people with wider facial structures or those wearing glasses.

This smile pattern provides a more accurate representation of a patient’s true smile than social smiling does; specifically, commissure smile reveals more of the front six teeth rather than only cuspids; patients exhibiting this smile should have their upper lips more inclined upwards for optimal performance.

Although most people display this smile, it remains less common than the cuspid or complex ones due to requiring more complex activation of muscles, making it harder for some people to control. This option may be particularly suitable for people with wider faces or those wearing glasses who wish to have their teeth appear more proportionate – a dentist might suggest adding porcelain veneers for even and balanced teeth.

The Complex Smile

Though comprised of only two muscles, this smile type has long been linked with genuine feelings of pleasure and happiness. It involves two of your cheek muscles — the zygomaticus major which pulls at the corners of your mouth — as well as one surrounding your eyes called orbicularis oculi (creating the characteristic twinkling effect). Recent research showed that those expressing genuine emotions through this form of smiling displayed significantly lower signs of stress than others who did not – likely because real emotion requires crinkling of nose and forehead which causes facial muscles contract in ways which fake smiles cannot.

Smiles that show empathy can often be identified by their use as the affiliation smile. Perhaps you’ve seen it when people grieve, or M’Lynn laughs raucously while visiting her daughter’s grave in “Steel Magnolias”. These forms of smiles serve to connect people and communicate trustworthiness, belonging and good intentions – sometimes with an upward pull on lips and dimpled cheeks!

As clinicians, we use smiles to show empathy, compassion and trustworthiness with patients, colleagues and staff members. A beautiful smile symbolizes health, success and beauty – it’s essential for people to know exactly what their ideal smile looks like.

An ideal smile can be described as one that is visually appealing, harmonious, and balanced. It should feature ideal height, width, and shape features such as maxillary incisors that match or silhouette the laterals (teeth alongside front teeth) with its embrasures gradually diminishing towards cuspids (eye teeth). Finally, its important that smile lines align along a straight vertical axis at face center.