Introduction: Facial soft tissue dimensions greatly affect important esthetic variables for orthodontic patients such as the amount of incisor and gingival display at rest and upon animation. Objective: Our goal was to obtain direct clinical for more precise and specific breakdown of soft tissue into separate components such as philtrum, commissure and lip vermilion. In addition, tooth relationships to soft tissue both statically and during animation were recorded. Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 1367 patients, 691 females and 676 males, was obtained from a diagnostic database of initial records for private practice patients in Birmingham, AL. Results: Because the length of the philtrum of the upper lip is short initially and increases faster than commissure height at adolescence, maximum display of the upper incisors occurs at age 11 in females and 12 in males. One-third of the patients with >2 mm gingival display at rest had a philtrum height of 17 mm or less, so this often has a soft tissue component and is not just an indication of vertical maxillary excess. There is a 0.9 correlation coefficient between the philtrum length-commissure height difference and lip separation at rest. Incisor display at rest and smile, gingival display on smile and lip separation at rest all decreased after adolescence in both males and females, particularly beyond age 20. Conclusions: Incisor display is a youthful trait; both the short- and long-term effects of maxillary incisor intrusion require careful consideration in planning esthetic treatment. Although the lips sag downward at rest, the ability to elevate the lip on smile is retained. If lip dimensions and proportions are outside the normal range and contribute significantly to a dentofacial problem, orthodontists should consider referral for correction of the soft tissue problem. Research Support: Edgar Baker Research Fellowship.