Watching the Academy Awards tonight I couldn't help but notice not only how beatiful  the smiles are but how natural they appear. Alot  may actually be natural but I'm sure many are just great looking dentistry. The right  size and proportions of teeth for each smile and framed by healthy gums and of course lips. I want to emphasize HEALTHY. No matter how good the dentistry, if the teeth aren't  framed by healthy soft tissue then they will not look good. No matter what a patient  comes to me seeking, to close a space, to get rid of pain, for a complete smile makeover or full mouth reconstruction, it all begins with first getting them healthy. No treatment that we do will look as good or last as long unless it begins with a healthy foundation. And if you're healthy you feel good and if you feel good about yourself you smile confidently and naturally. Everything is connected. You can see it in the fashion magazines too. The smiles aren't all perfect by any means. Look closely at some and you'll see that there are  teeth that aren't perfectly straight, some are warn flat, some smiles aren't even perfectly symmetrical. There may even be visible spaces. But they are all surrounded by pink healthy gums that are symmetrical at the gumline and the lips and facial muscles have a relaxed, comfortable look about them. It all begins with good health and ends with a relaxed, confident smile.