From commissure points to final score — the dental aesthetics pipeline that measures what the human eye instinctively judges
Upload a front-facing photo with your maximum social smile — the smile you'd use when meeting someone for the first time. AI identifies the left and right cheilion (commissure) points at the corners of the mouth to measure intercommissural width. This establishes your smile width relative to facial width — the broader the smile relative to bizygomatic width, the more dominant the dental display.
AI measures the negative space between your maxillary posterior teeth and the inner cheek at full smile. Buccal corridor ratio is calculated as visible corridor width divided by intercommissural width. Research in orthodontic literature consistently shows that minimal buccal corridors (below 8% of smile width) are rated as significantly more attractive than wide corridors (above 15%). This dark space is what separates a 'Hollywood Smile' from a narrow-arch smile.
The AI traces your maxillary incisal edges and compares them to the curvature of your lower lip. A 'consonant' smile arc — where the biting edges of the upper teeth parallel the curve of the lower lip — is the orthodontic gold standard. A flat or reverse smile arc (teeth edges are straight across while lip curves down) significantly reduces smile attractiveness scores regardless of tooth whiteness.
Gingival display analysis: at full smile, 0–2mm of gum show is considered optimal for men. Display exceeding 3mm enters 'gummy smile' territory. The AI also measures dental midline deviation from facial midline (the vertical axis from nasion through philtrum to chin). Midline deviations under 2mm are typically imperceptible; deviations beyond 3mm become noticeable and reduce symmetry scores.
From Hollywood Smile to Asymmetric Shift — find your dental archetype and its optimization path
The Hollywood Smile
90–100
The orthodontic ideal. Wide maxillary arch with buccal corridors under 6% of smile width — the teeth fill the mouth laterally, creating a 'full' dental display. Consonant smile arc with incisal edges perfectly paralleling the lower lip curve. Gingival display between 0–1mm at full smile. Dental midline aligned within 1mm of facial midline. Tooth proportions follow the golden ratio (central incisors 1.6:1 width-to-height ratio). This smile reads as high-status, healthy, and genetically fortunate before any words are exchanged.
The High-Arch Smile
85–95
Characterized by exceptional maxillary width that fills the intercommissural space completely — buccal corridors approach 0–4%. The dental arch appears broad and expansive, creating a smile that dominates the lower face. Often associated with strong craniofacial development: wide palate, forward maxillary projection, and good nasal airway. The High-Arch smile can compensate for other midface deficiencies because it draws attention to dental-maxillary health. In some cases, minimal buccal corridors can edge into 'denture appearance' if combined with oversized crowns — the AI distinguishes natural width from prosthetic over-augmentation.
The Gummy Smile
40–65
Excessive gingival display at full smile — typically 3mm+ of gum tissue visible above the maxillary incisors. Causes are multifactorial: (1) hyperactive upper lip elevator muscles (zygomaticus minor, levator labii superioris) pulling the lip too high, (2) vertical maxillary excess — the upper jaw developed too far downward, (3) short clinical crowns — teeth appear stubby due to incomplete passive eruption or wear, (4) thin gingival biotype showing more tissue. The gummy smile reduces smile attractiveness because it disrupts the white-to-pink ratio that the brain processes as 'normal' dental display.
Narrow Arch (Receded)
35–55
Large buccal corridors exceeding 15% of smile width — the classic 'dark triangles' at the corners of the mouth during smiling. The maxillary dental arch is narrower than the intercommissural width, creating negative space that reads as dental deficiency. Causes: (1) narrow palate from childhood mouth breathing or low tongue posture, (2) extracted premolars with orthodontic retraction (conventional 'camouflage' orthodontics), (3) genetically narrow dental arch. Research shows that wide buccal corridors age the face — the dark spaces read as tooth loss or dental neglect, even when individual teeth are perfectly healthy and white.
Asymmetric Shift
30–50
Dental midline deviates from facial midline by 3mm or more — noticeable in frontal smile photos. Asymmetry may originate from: (1) skeletal mandibular deviation (jaw shifts to one side), (2) dental compensation (teeth shifted within bone to mask skeletal asymmetry), (3) unilateral tooth loss causing drift, or (4) asymmetric orthodontic extraction patterns. Even perfectly white teeth with ideal buccal corridors will score poorly on the AI smile symmetry test if the midline is off-center — the human visual system is exquisitely sensitive to facial midline disruptions.
The 'Mogger' Smirk
80–100
Not a full smile — a high-intensity, unilateral or slightly asymmetric social display that communicates confidence and status. The Mogger Smirk relies more on zygomaticus major activation and lip competence than on dental display. Key features: strong lip posture (no strain), visible commissure elevation, and controlled gingival display. This archetype matters because it's the default 'social media' and 'approach' expression — you'll use this more often than a full Duchenne smile. The AI scores it separately from full-smile metrics because the aesthetic criteria differ: dental display may be minimal, but commissure symmetry, lip competence, and nasolabial fold aesthetics become primary.
Why the dark space in your mouth matters more than tooth whiteness for your facial score
Buccal corridors are the negative spaces between the lateral surfaces of your maxillary posterior teeth and the inner corners of your mouth during a full smile. Orthodontic research measures these as a percentage of total smile width: corridor width divided by intercommissural width. The ideal range for male smiles is 2–8% — meaning the teeth fill 92–98% of the horizontal mouth opening. Corridors above 15% become noticeably 'empty,' creating the impression of missing teeth or dental neglect. The buccal corridor ratio is largely determined by maxillary arch width — a wide palate naturally fills the mouth laterally, while a narrow palate leaves unfilled space at the corners. This is why palate expansion (MSE/MARPE) is the most transformative hardmaxx for narrow-arch smiles: it addresses the skeletal foundation rather than masking the gap with oversized veneers.
Multiple peer-reviewed studies in orthodontic and aesthetic journals have demonstrated that smiles with minimal buccal corridors are consistently rated as: more attractive (by both laypeople and dental professionals), more trustworthy (smile width is associated with openness), more intelligent (full smiles read as confident and socially competent), and higher socioeconomic status (straight, full smiles are expensive and therefore honest signals of resource access). These perceptions operate below conscious awareness — viewers don't think 'that person has narrow buccal corridors,' they think 'that person looks successful.' The attractive smile checker measures what humans already judge instinctively. A man with average facial features and a high-scoring smile will consistently out-rate a man with better bone structure and a narrow-arch, corridor-heavy smile.
Most men seeking a better smile default to whitening — it's the most marketed and most accessible intervention. But the impact hierarchy is: (1) Arch width (buccal corridor elimination) — highest impact, most difficult. (2) Smile arc correction (incisal edge alignment with lower lip) — high impact, orthodontic. (3) Midline alignment (symmetry) — high impact, orthodontic with possible surgical component. (4) Tooth shape and proportion (golden ratio restorations) — moderate impact, restorative dentistry. (5) Color/whitening — moderate impact, cosmetic/OTC. (6) Gingival contour — situationally high impact. A man with perfectly white teeth but wide buccal corridors and a flat smile arc will be out-smiled by a man with slightly yellowed teeth but a wide arch, consonant arc, and minimal corridors. The smile analyzer weights these factors accordingly — whitening helps, but geometry defines.
The smile arc describes the relationship between the curved line formed by the biting edges of the upper front teeth and the curved line of the lower lip during smiling. In a 'consonant' smile arc — the orthodontic ideal — the incisal edges follow the same curvature as the lower lip, running parallel to it like two matching crescent moons. This creates visual harmony because the teeth and lip form a unified geometric unit rather than competing curves. In a 'flat' smile arc, the incisal edges run straight across horizontally while the lip curves below — the visual conflict reads as dental artificiality. In a 'reverse' smile arc, the incisal edges actually curve opposite to the lower lip — this is the most aesthetically compromising pattern and is often seen in patients who had orthodontic treatment focused solely on bite correction without aesthetic consideration. The smile attractiveness test measures arc consonance because research consistently shows it matters more than individual tooth aesthetics.
The dental midline — the vertical line between your two central incisors — should align with the facial midline (the vertical axis from the center of your forehead through your nose, philtrum, and chin). A deviation of 1–2mm is typically imperceptible to casual observers. At 3mm, the brain begins to register 'something is off' even if the viewer cannot identify what. At 4mm+, the asymmetry becomes consciously noticeable and significantly reduces smile attractiveness ratings. Midline deviation often signals underlying skeletal asymmetry: a mandibular shift, unilateral condylar hyperplasia, or compensated skeletal Class II/III relationship. This is why the AI smile symmetry test doesn't just measure aesthetics — it identifies potential structural issues. A shifted midline with otherwise straight teeth often means previous orthodontics compensated for skeletal asymmetry by moving teeth within bone rather than addressing the bone position itself.
The 'Hollywood Smile' is not a single look — it's a specific set of geometric parameters that together create the perception of perfect dental aesthetics. The parameters: (1) Golden proportion tooth sizing — each tooth is approximately 1.618 times the visible width of the tooth next to it (central incisor 1.6:1 width-to-height ratio). (2) 'Zenith' points — the most apical point of each tooth's gum line follows a specific pattern (lateral incisor zenith is lower than central incisor zenith). (3) Minimal buccal corridors (under 8%). (4) Consonant smile arc. (5) Midline aligned within 1mm of facial midline. (6) Tooth color approximately matching the sclera (white of eye) — not brighter. (7) 0–2mm gingival display. The Hollywood Smile Checker measures each of these parameters against orthodontic standards. Most 'Hollywood Smiles' are not natural — they're the product of comprehensive restorative dentistry. But understanding the parameters allows you to pursue targeted improvements rather than undefined 'better teeth.'
Male and female smile aesthetics diverge in meaningful ways that generic smile analysis misses. Male teeth should be: squarer (less rounded incisal edges), slightly larger relative to facial size, with a flatter smile arc (not as dramatically curved as the female ideal), and with more visible central incisors relative to lateral incisors (the 'dominant central' pattern). Male gingival display tolerance is lower — 0–1mm is ideal, while 2mm is acceptable in female smiles. The underlying reason: female smiles emphasize youth and neoteny (fuller, rounder teeth, more gingival display reads as 'young'), while male smiles emphasize maturity and structural development (square teeth, minimal gum show reads as 'fully developed'). The teeth attractiveness test accounts for these dimorphic differences — a smile that scores 'perfect' for a female face would score differently on male parameters, and vice versa.
Targeted interventions from softmaxx to hardmaxx — fix the specific deficiencies your smile score reveals
Pair your smile analysis with these tools for total facial aesthetics optimization