In this brief guide, we will talk about everything you need to know about a lopsided smile, including the meaning of a lopsided smile, causes, celebrities with lopsided smiles, and the fix for a lopsided smile.
Lopsided Smile Meaning
A lopsided smile means when the left side and the right side of the face are inconsistently high and low as compared to each other.
In a lopsided smile, one side of the lips or mouth is lifted while the other side seems like it is frowning, or just generally looks like it is low.
A lopsided smile may also be seen as an uneven smile.
A lopsided smile may be intentional, like when someone makes a wry joke or smirks, they may only lift one side of the mouth to show mirth or wryness, whereas in some people the general smile is just lopsided, to begin with, naturally.
There are also many celebrities who have a lopsided smile naturally, and they are often known for this kind of smile, as it makes for a rather unique appearance.
So if you have a lopsided smile and feel bad about it, you shouldn’t, as it can make you look quite nice and different.
Sudden Lopsided smile
If you generally have a straight smile which makes the corners of your mouth lift naturally on either side, but suddenly you seem to be smiling lopsided, you need to get medical attention immediately as it may be the symptom of a stroke.
The lopsided or uneven smile that is sudden in nature has been seen to be a symptom of stroke and is often one of the warning signs that occur before major damage occurs, which makes it all the more necessary to seek medical attention the minute it occurs, without waiting to see if things get better.
Some symptoms of a stroke are:
- Uneven or lopsided smile (That lifts on one corner of the mouth and not the other)
- Numbness, weakness or paralysis in the arm, face, and leg, often on one side of the body
- Trouble speaking or understanding speech
- Confusion
- Slurred speech
- Vision problems; trouble seeing in one or both eyes with vision blackened or blurred, or double vision
- Trouble walking
- Loss of balance or coordination
- Dizziness
- Severe, sudden headache with an unknown cause
There may be other causes of a lopsided smile that may be medical in nature as well, and some that are not, which are discussed separately below.
Lopsided Smile Causes
Here is a list of some possible causes of a lopsided smile:
- Medical reasons (Stroke, Bell’s Palsy, Facial Paralysis)
- Genetics or hereditary
- Sun related damage
- Uneven teeth
- Misaligned Jaw
- Botched Surgery
- Aging
- Dental work
- Smoking
- physical damage
- Trauma
- Torticollis (Twisted Neck)
These causes of a lopsided smile are explored further below.
Medical Reasons
Facial drooping or a lopsided smile may be a sign of a stroke, so if you feel that your smile is suddenly uneven or lopsided, or if you experience numbness on one side of your face you should seek medical help immediately.
Some other symptoms of a stroke have been discussed before under the heading sudden lopsided smile.
Another medical cause for a lopsided smile maybe Bell’s Palsy.
A sudden lopsided smile may also be a sign of a serious condition called Bell’s palsy, which refers to a paralysis of facial nerves, which causes a new or sudden onset of weakness or numbness in the muscles, especially on one side of your face.
Bell’s palsy has also been known to occur after pregnancy or a viral infection, and in most cases it is often temporary.
Bell’s palsy facial asymmetry or lopsided smile is caused by the muscles on one side of your face being less able or unable to move.
Genetics
In some cases, a lopsided smile may just run in your family and may just be a result of development and genetics.
If you have noticed that most people in your family have uneven, asymmetrical, or lopsided smiles then the chances of you having them are good.
Causes like a Cleft lip and palate and vascular disorders which are genetic health conditions may also explain an uneven or lopsided smile.
Sun related damage
Sun damage has been linked to a lot of skin-related issues like blotches, patches, and spots, but did you know it can also change the elasticity of your skin to cause a lopsided smile?
Studies have shown that exposure to UV rays can cause spots, patches, and moles to develop on your skin, and sometimes it may also cause damage to one side or one area of your face.
Uneven teeth
Uneven teeth, or crooked teeth, may cause a lopsided smile, as the arrangement of teeth has a huge impact on the shape of your lips, and therefore, your smile.
If your uneven teeth cause other problems as well then you should look into getting braces, otherwise, it is not something to worry about, because this cause of a lopsided smile is virtually harmless.
Misaligned Jaw
A misaligned jaw, or what is more appropriately known as a misaligned bite, may als cause a lopsided smile.
A misaligned bite or Malocclusion makes your mouth fit differently, and this may be visible in the way you smile, and this is usually something you should get fixed as over time it can start to cause pain and other problems.
Botched Surgery
Bad surgery on the face, especially involving Botox, may also cause a Lopsided smile.
Aging
Facial asymmetry is said to increase as someone ages, which is a natural part of aging, and may cause a lopsided smile.
While your bones stop growing as you grow up, the cartilage does not stop growing which means that the ears and nose change their shape over time, which may cause the smile to look different and perhaps even lopsided or uneven.
Dental work
Having a tooth extracted or fixed in some way can change the way the muscles in your face appear and cause a lopsided smile.
In addition, using dentures or getting dental veneers can also cause a smile to look lopsided.
Smoking
Because smoking causes your face to constantly come in contact with toxins, it can be directly correlated to a lopsided smile.
Torticollis (Twisted Neck)
A twisted neck while sleeping, also known as Torticollis, may also be associated with a lopsided smile.
Lopsided Smile Emoji
The lopsided smile emoji is seen often and shows a face that is smiling with more lift in the smile on one side as compared to the other.
The lopsided smile emoji is also called the smirking emoji and features a yellow face with a sly and smug smile that looks mischievous and feels suggestive.
The lopsided smile emoji is often used to convey flirtation or intimate innuendo.
If someone sends you a lopsided smile emoji it may be quite obvious that they are trying to flirt with you or at least being friendly and informal.
Lopsided Smile Fix
While one does not necessarily need to fix a lopsided smile, unless it is caused by a problem like a medical situation, you may look at trying to fix it if you feel shameful or upset by it in any way, or feel that the lopsided smile affects your confidence.
Here are some possible fixes for a lopsided smile:
Facial exercises
Whatever the reason for uneven lips, you can try to fix them with facial exercises.
Here are some of the best exercises that experts recommend:
“Tighten your lips as if you are going to attempt to whistle. Hold that position for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat 10 to 20 times a day.”
“Stretch your lips with your lips closed as if you are trying to touch the corners of your mouth to your ears. Hold that position for 10 seconds. Next, stretch your lips further with your teeth slightly exposed. Hold the position again. Then, stretch your lips as far as they can go with your teeth bared. Hold the position, then relax.”
“Purse your lips. Suck in your cheeks so that they are close to touching each other (commonly called fish face). Then, move your lips up and down in the pucker position.”
Lip Augmentation
In some cases, a lip augmentation can help, which can be done with fillers, surgery and other ways.
Here are some pros and cons of this fix for a lopsided smile:
Pros:
- Quick and outpatient treatment
- Paced treatments
- Lip volume can be controlled
Cons
- Temporary
- Cold sores or fever blisters might get reactivated
- possible swelling and bruising
Lip surgery
If your lopsided smile is causing you problems or if you have too uneven lips you may require surgery.
The surgery for a lopsided smile or uneven lips is known as Lip reconstruction and is typically performed by a plastic surgeon.
This surgery is usually done with an aesthetic focus in mind.
Celebrities with a Lopsided Smile
There are many attractive celebrities that have lopsided smiles, and it adds to their charm and becomes a unique identity.
If you are embarrassed because of your lopsided smile, you can check out pictures of these celebrities and feel better that you don’t look odd at all, in fact, it makes you attractive and unique and gives you something in common with these celebrities.
- Katie Holmes
- Will Arnett
- Natalie Dormer
- John Mayer
- Kristen Stewart
- Emma Watson
- Andy Samberg
- Alicia Keys
- Drew Barrymore
- Lamar Odom
- Milo Ventimiglia
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we talked about everything you need to know about a lopsided smile, including the meaning of a lopsided smile, causes, celebrities with lopsided smiles, and the fix for a lopsided smile. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments you may have.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Lopsided smile
What causes a lopsided smile?
Malocclusion or a misaligned jaw can cause a lopsided smile, and depending on the level of misalignment of teeth and/or the jawbone one may experience difficulty chewing and jaw pain in addition to a lopsided smile.
A misaligned jaw is often the number one cause of TMJ disorder.
Are crooked smiles attractive?
Yes, crooked smiles are attractive, as researchers have found that some crookedness is better because this makes the smile tend to appear more genuine.
The same researchers have also found that a smile that is too crooked weirds people out.
What does a lopsided smile mean?
The meaning of a lopsided smile is that the person is perhaps being sly or smug, or maybe smirking.
In some cases, though a sudden lopsided smile can mean that the person is experiencing a medical problem like stroke or bell’s palsy.
Is an asymmetrical face attractive?
Asymmetrical faces can be attractive, in fact, studies have shown that when someone’s face is made too symmetrical with retouching, they start to look odd and weird to the normal person.
