How to Fix a Misaligned Smile

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This article was co-written by Tu Anh Vu, DMD. Vu Tu Anh is a board certified dentist who runs a private dental practice in Brooklyn, New York. Tu Anh helps adults and children of all ages overcome fears related to dental care. Dr. Tu Anh conducted research to find a cure for Kaposi Sarcoma cancer and presented her research at the Hinman Conference in Memphis. She received her undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr University and a DMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry.

There are 20 references cited in this article that you can see at the bottom of the page.

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Although everyone has a slight disproportion on their face, a crooked smile can be more noticeable than other features. If one side of your mouth is higher or lower than the other when smiling, it’s probably a little off–but there’s nothing to be upset about! There are many non-invasive ways that can help you hide your crooked smile and boost your confidence in your appearance.

Table of Contents

Frequently asked questions about misaligned smile

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What is the cause of a crooked smile? There are a number of factors that can cause a person’s smile to be misaligned, including the habit of chewing more on one side of the jaw than the other, crooked or crowded teeth, injury, tissue trauma, facial nerve paralysis, even inherited by genes. There are many different causes of your smile not being perfectly proportioned, and some of them are only temporary. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Even the emotional state you’re going through can cause your smile to be slightly off.

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How do I know if I’ve been laughed at? You can spot this in a photograph or look in a mirror. Maybe that’s why you even avoid smiling, laughing, or taking selfies. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Your perception of yourself may be a bit misleading. Selfies, webcam videos and photos can be distorted, even if your smile in real life is fine!

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Should I correct my crooked smile? You don’t have to bother editing your smile if you don’t want to! Everyone has some degree of facial imbalance. And a slightly lopsided smile can add a bit of personality. You should only correct a crooked smile if it affects your confidence or makes you feel guilty. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Crooked or crooked teeth can damage your health in the long run. Talk to your dentist if you are concerned about this.

Good Habits

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Chew on both sides of the jaw. If you have a habit of chewing on only one side, one side of the jaw may become stronger than the other. Try to chew on both the left and right sides of the jaw alternately instead of just chewing on the familiar side. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

You can chew a piece on the right side, switch to the left side, then switch back to chew on the right side while eating.

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Lie on your side while sleeping. Your jaw muscles can gradually become misaligned if only one side of your face is pressed against the pillow and the other is not. You should try to alternate lying on both your left and right sides while sleeping to prevent this. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

If you sleep on your back, you don’t have to worry about switching sides.

Facial expressions

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Say “iiiiii” and “ooooo.” Say “iii” while smiling a little exaggeratedly and hold it for about 15 seconds. Next, switch to saying “oooo” while pursed your lips as if you were whistling and hold for 15-20 seconds. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Repeat this movement 10 times per day to strengthen the muscles around the mouth.
While facial exercises are thought to help correct a lopsided smile, there is no scientific evidence to support this.

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Exercise “fish face”. Squeeze your cheeks in until they touch inside the mouth. Hold this position and move your lips up and down for about 10 seconds. ^{[9] X Research Source}

This exercise helps strengthen the cheek muscles.

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Hold a pencil in your mouth. Place a pencil across your mouth, just behind the fangs, then close your mouth as tightly as possible to hold the pencil. Rotate your head to the right, then to the left while holding the pencil in your mouth. Next is to look up and then look down. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Try to do this exercise 3 times a day to strengthen the jaw muscles.

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Run your tongue around your upper teeth. With your mouth closed, sweep your tongue over the upper teeth, first to the right, then to the left. Repeat this movement a few times to strengthen the tongue and facial muscles. ^{[11] X Research Source}

You can do this exercise 10 times a day.

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Hold a spoon in your mouth. Place the handle of the spoon in your mouth, hold it between your lips, the tip of the spoon pointing straight ahead. Hold the spoon in place with your lips for 5-10 seconds or as long as you can. ^{[12] X Research Source}

The weight of the spoon will help train the muscles.
Gradually, you can practice holding the spoon between your lips for up to 1 minute at a time.

Lip shape correction

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Use concealer to draw lips so that they are more balanced. Dab a little concealer or foundation and apply all over the lips to create an even foundation. Use a matte lip liner that is a little darker than your natural lip color and paint over the deviated part of your lips. Apply lipstick over the lip line to make the lips look more balanced and full. ^{[13] X Research Source}

At first you should be careful, don’t draw too much. Drawing lips that are too big or full can be too noticeable, especially in natural light.
This isn’t something you need to do every day, but it can boost your charm with makeup.

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Fill lips with lip fillers. Ask your plastic surgeon about lip filler injections to help plump your lips. You may require injections of light fillers in small amounts to rebalance the lips and create a more natural effect. ^{[14] X Research Source}

This is a quick injection procedure that usually takes only 15 to 30 minutes.
If you are going to have lip fillers injected, make sure to see a licensed plastic surgeon.
Lip fillers aren’t permanent, so you’ll probably have to inject extra miles.

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Try lip tattooing to improve lip color and plump lips. Semi-permanent tattooing can make lips appear fuller by adding pigments to the lips. Go to a professional tattooist and tell them what you want and ask if your goal is achieved. ^{[15] X Trusted Source US Food and Drug Administration Go to source}

Cosmetic tattooing is different from regular tattoos, so your lip color will not last forever. You may need to reapply after 2-3 years, when the lip color fades.
Most lip tattoo ink is very light and it is not easy to see that you have tattooed your lips.

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Choose lip implants as a permanent solution. If you are really unhappy with your uneven lips, there are a few ways for you to make it permanent. Ask your plastic surgeon about a lip transplant (a long graft placed inside the lip to make the lips fuller and more symmetrical), fat grafting (transferring fat from the abdomen to the lips), or tissue grafting (transplanting a piece of skin on your body grafted onto your lips). ^{[16] X Research Source}

These procedures are highly invasive, and each has its risks. You should talk to a licensed surgeon for more information before deciding on this option.

Correction of teeth

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Straighten teeth with braces. If your smile is crooked because of crooked teeth, see your orthodontist and ask about braces. Braces are not a quick fix – it can take a year or longer to correct misaligned teeth. However, the results can be amazing. ^{[17] X Research Source}

If you don’t want to wear braces, you can ask your dentist or orthodontist about clear braces.

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Try porcelain veneers to lengthen your teeth. If your teeth are chipped or too short, ask your dentist about porcelain veneers. This is a layer of porcelain glued on the tooth surface, helping you to have white teeth without much effort. ^{[18] X Trusted Source American Dental Association Go to Source}

Your teeth and gums must be healthy to qualify for porcelain veneers, so keep brushing and flossing!
Porcelain veneers are a permanent solution, but over time it can come off. You may need to repair or replace it later.

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Attach a crown to correct the shape of the tooth. If you only have a few crooked or chipped teeth, ask your dentist about crowns. These crowns will cover the outside of each tooth, making it look full and healthy. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Crowns can also help strengthen weak or broken teeth.

In the photo

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Press your tongue close behind your teeth for the perfect smile. Before smiling, push your tongue up to the roof of your mouth and squeeze your upper teeth. When you smile, you will reveal a moderate amount of gum (neither too much nor too little). ^{[20] X Research Source}

Screen stars often use this trick on the red carpet to keep the perfect smile when taking photos.

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Puff your lips out to make them look fuller. Before smiling, you can pout your lips a little as if you’re about to kiss someone. Try to keep this feeling on your lips when smiling for naturally full lips in the photo. ^{[21] X Research Source}

This is a great way to make your lips look fuller without any retouching solutions.

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Step away from the camera lens. Taking pictures too close to the lens can cause the image to be distorted and the contours of your face out of balance. Try standing at least 1m -1.2m away from the camera lens, then step back or forward a little to find the best angle. ^{[22] X Research Source}

Standing too far away from the camera lens also makes the contours of your face look a bit weird (even blurred). Try to find a reasonable distance for the best image.

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Choose a 70 to 100 mm lens for the most natural angle. If you’re using a professional camera, the type of lens you choose can greatly affect how you look in your photos. A 70mm or 100mm lens will help minimize distortion and maintain proportions. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

The perfect lens for you may be slightly different, so try a variety to find the right one.

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Use the warp tool in your photo editing software to retouch your smile. Drag the photo into the editing software and highlight the mouth area with a warp top. Pull one side of your mouth slightly up or down to correct any deviations you notice. ^{[24] X Research Source}

Be very careful when editing photos! If you overdo it, your photo will look unnatural.
If you hire a professional photographer, you can ask the photographer to correct your smile in post-production.

Advice

Everyone has a slightly crooked smile. Maybe your crooked smile isn’t very noticeable either!

Warning

If you decide to have cosmetic surgery, find a licensed doctor.

Steps