Our Blog
27
Jul
A Smile-Rating App Debuts in Japan
Want to get a second opinion about the appearance of your smile? Soon, you’ll be able to get an objective assessment of the many qualities of your smile from a smile-rating app that is being tested in Japan before it becomes generally available next year.
A Smile in Motion
The app doesn’t look just at the appearance of your teeth and gums. Instead, it also looks at the movement of your lips to get a dynamic sense of your smile style or technique. Then it will give your smile a single overall rating that ranges from 0 to 120. But the smile rating is just an approximation of the overall appeal of your smile. The app will also provide ratings about different characteristics of your smile, whether it is lively, friendly, positive, beautiful, attractive, or trustworthy.
For those of us reading about this app in the US, it’s a little hard to figure out the difference between a “beautiful” smile and an “attractive” one, but that’s probably a translation issue more than anything.
The app’s creators seem to be trying to help people develop not just one smile, but several smiles, those that can be used in a variety of social situations for maximum effect. In some situations, you want to show off your lively smile, but for more staid occasions, you’ll want to pull out your elegant smile.
Perhaps the people who would benefit most from this ability to develop and utilize many different kinds of smiles is those in the hospitality industry. That’s who the app is targeted for, and who it’s being tested by. This month, 5000 Japan Airlines flight attendants started using the app. They will use it daily for several months, then give feedback. This will help prepare the app for its full release in early 2017.
How to Gauge Your Own Smile
Without an app to rate your smile for you, how can you determine the quality of your smile today? You could just look in the mirror and rate your smile for yourself. But we are notoriously unreliable judges of our own appearance. We may be too hard on ourselves, or we may give ourselves a pass. So how do we get objective ratings of our smiles?
From the people around us. But don’t ask people to rate your smile–you’re likely to get a polite appraisal that your smile looks great if it does or not. A few people might be able to give you their honest opinion, but not many.
Instead, just gauge the way people respond when you smile. If people tend to smile back spontaneously, then you have confidence that your smile is doing what it’s supposed to do. You also know if you have a good smile if you are making good first impressions, and people are treating you as trustworthy, intelligent, and successful.
But if you find you’re making bad impressions, you’re having trouble getting a second date, or if people tend to hesitate before returning your smile, then maybe you should consider cosmetic dentistry.
Your New Best Smile
If you’ve determined that your smile could use some touching up, you might know exactly why. But if you don’t, then you should talk to a cosmetic dentist about the appearance of your smile.
Although many cosmetic dentists might offer you a smile makeover that focuses entirely on your teeth, Beverly Hills Nicolas A. Ravon, DDS, MSD understands that your gums are just as important to the appearance of your smile. He also offers gum grafting to help restore your smile from the damaging effects of receding gums.
If you want a comprehensive assessment and restoration of the appearance of your smile, please call (310) 275-5325 today for an appointment at Nicolas A. Ravon, DDS, MSD.