Braces have changed my smile for the worse. Can I have wider smile again (more teeth appearing)? (Photo)

More than likely, you had bicuspid teeth extracted in order to create enough room to align your remaining teeth. Unfortunately, this antiquated form of orthodontic treatment ALMOST ALWAYS leaves the patient with too much space and then the teeth have to be over retracted in order to close the extra space. This causes a narrow smile, small lips, long narrow face, compromised airway and possible TMJ problems. The problem can not be resolved with braces alone as you require dental arch development. This is done with removable appliances. After your arches are developed appropriately you will more than likely need to have braces again.Good luck!

The two photographs were taken at different angles and in different light.  This makes it hard to draw conclusion about width of the arch.  (chin is down on left, creating shadows.  On right, chin is elevated and the light is very brightThat said,It does look like your two smiles are different in other ways.  Your after smile appears to have more overbite and a greater "slant" outwards of the front teeth so your lower lip is behind the teeth. I am not sure what type or treatment you had (extractions or not) but it is clear that your teeth have not been "over retracted" as some may claim.   (research actually shows that cases where teeth were extracted usually have wider smiles,  Crowded teeth treated with out extractions often look to "horsey" with extra overbite that can create a narrow look)  The slant or lean of the side teeth can affect how wide a smile looks after treatment.  Different orthodontists choose different angles based on many factors.Bottom line:  If you don't like your smile, see an orthodontist and bring several photos of what you want fixed.  You will know when you find the right one to fix what you are unhappy with.