Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026
Measuring Maxillary Posterior Tooth Movement: A Model Assessment using Palatal and Dental Superimposition
Published on: February 23, 2024
Esthetic effect of orthodontic appliances on a smiling face with and without a missing maxillary first premolar
Patrícia Medeiros Berto1, Carolina Santos Lima, Marcos Augusto Lenza
1Postgraduate student, Graduate Program in Orthodontics, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil.
Introduction:
In this study, we evaluated the effects of orthodontic appliances and an extracted maxillary first premolar on the esthetic evaluation of a smiling face according to the perceptions of orthodontists and laypeople.
Methods:
Standardized oblique photographs of a young woman with a pleasing smile were taken. The photos were edited by using digital imaging software to produce 10 combinations of presence or absence of orthodontic appliances with either esthetic or metal brackets, rubber bands of different colors, and presence or absence of the maxillary first premolar. Two groups of 50 observers each, 1 of laypeople and the other of orthodontists, evaluated the images and assigned esthetic scores to the smiles according to a visual analog scale.
Results:
The presence of orthodontic appliances and metal brackets, regardless of rubber band color, had no negative effect on the esthetic evaluation of the smile by either group. Appliances with esthetic brackets were significantly less pleasing for laypeople, whereas for orthodontists they did not affect the esthetic evaluation of the smile. The extraction space had a significantly negative effect on the evaluation of the smile, and only orthodontists thought that the appliance minimized its effect.
Conclusions:
The type of bracket used with the orthodontic appliances and a maxillary first premolar extraction space produced different esthetic perceptions in laypeople and orthodontists.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
01:21Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or grinding food.
01:15Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin and...