Carrie Underwood

2008 Female Celebrity Smile of the Year

What's in a smile, what's in a face that makes it so naturally appealing? Carrie's got it and the Dear Doctor's 2008 award for "Female Celebrity Smile of the Year".

But why? What makes her smile so especially appealing?

Dear Doctor asked international authority on "Smile Design", Dr. David A. Garber to give his perspective of Carrie's smile. Dr. Garber is both a periodontist and a prosthodontist who teaches and lectures internationally on the subject of "Smile Design". We wanted his professional opinion regarding just what makes Carrie Underwood's smile so extraordinary. Here's what he says:

It is said that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," but there are strong cultural influences, universal appeals and even personal experiences that make some faces more naturally appealing and attractive than others. While it may be true that no two people may exactly agree, research data indicates that there is certainly a definitive range within which most people will acknowledge that a smile, face, or even an inanimate object is appealing and attractive, if not beautiful.

Here are some of the fundamental reasons why we subconsciously feel this way; think about these words: youth, symmetry, harmony, balance, and proportion. Let's see how they apply in nature to beauty:

The perception of beauty varies from individual to individual and is determined by their personal experience, cultural influences and social environment as stated before. We come to define what our culture regards as beautiful in a general sense. Moreover, the appreciation of beauty is learned from parents and peers, and to some mysterious extent is probably innate.

Many of the proportions of a beautiful face, when measured, fall within the parameters of the so-called "Golden Proportion". Beauty in flowers, butterflies, even certain man made creations like buildings and cars, have an innate appeal which is the manifestation of this defined proportionality, intrinsic to their design.

Carrie's face and smile manifest these values. Youth is always a treasure in and of itself and she has the freshness of youth, carried in her flawless complexion. Her face and smile are well balanced and harmonious, satisfying the essential tenets imparted by the "Golden Proportion" alluded to above. Without getting too technical, cosmetic dentists and orthodontists study these measurements and proportions when they design and restore smiles, as do architects when they design. There is a distinct proportionality to Carrie's face, which if we did measure would correlate with the formula.

Essentially there is midline symmetry to her smile, her nose and front teeth center on her face — the lower lip line and tips of her front teeth parallel one another. The gum line of the upper teeth parallels the drape of her upper lip in a horizontal plane. The smile line follows the shape of her lower lip, it has a natural convex shape going downwards and mirroring the line of her upper teeth; her four upper front teeth are beautifully symmetrical; with a radiating harmony and continuity of form as they extend out to the corners of her smile. There is just a hint of "gingival" or gum display. The color of her teeth, one of the key assets, is bright, uniform and natural. Her teeth are prominent on the "stage" of her lips integrating effectively into her overall facial proportionality.

These are all reasons why we might consider faces to be generally attractive in women. As you can see with Carrie, these characteristics are further enhanced by her skin and complexion; the way she wears her hair and her make-up that highlight and accentuate her already flawless features.

Certainly there is a similar set of parameters for what makes men handsome and attractive (but we'll leave those for later in the year when Dear Doctor announces the winner of the Male Celebrity Smile of the Year).

And then there's the particular — which makes Carrie unique. She has her own specific, individual and special set of characteristics that well, make her — HER, and that is why she gets the award for "Celebrity Smile of the Year!"