Who would argue that well aligned teeth are not more esthetic than those which are not? Having said that, teeth can be aligned nicely and still be a failure. It would be hard to enjoy your post-orthodontic smile if your teeth are set back too far in your face, and they don’t show when you smile. It would be even worse if these teeth were accompanied by a poor airway which caused you to have Sleep Disordered Breathing or outright Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
People with perfectly straight teeth can have unattractive smiles with teeth set back in their face or hidden under the upper lip. Teeth that are prominent in the face but too far down can feature a gummy smile that makes the owner look like a horse.
Clearly there is a “right” place for the teeth in the face and many “wrong” places. Anterior Optimization must be done properly to have the teeth forward enough – but not too far forward. The majority of the front teeth must show on smiling, but excessive display of gum tissue quickly wrecks the smile.
Getting ideal placement of the front teeth in the face must also equate to Airway Optimization. What is the point of having a nice smile if a person struggles with poor breathing/sleep issues and has health issues associated with that?
