how to make good teeth

[shawnd45]

Greetings! I have an outline of a smile w/o teeth. How would I go about making teeth that will fit within the contour of the smile?   

                                                                        

[Jacob Bugge]

Shawn,

As I (mis)understand it, maybe Draw Inside.

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/atv/cs5-tutorials/using-drawing-modes.html

[barbara_a]

Here's one method you could use.

1. If you want the smile to be a different color than the teeth, duplicate the smile. If you want the teeth and the smile to be the same color, you can have just one smile.
2. 
3. Draw a series of rectangles for the teeth. In the example below I drew an additional wide rectangle underneath that has no fill and no stroke so that there would be a bit of space between the bottom of the teeth an the bottom of the smile. It is optional to draw the rectangle at the bottom.
4. 
5. Select all of the rectangles and Object > Group them.
6. 
7. Select one of the smiles and Object > Arrange > Bring to Front.
8. Select the smile that you just brought to the front and also the grouped rectangles.
9. Object > Envelope Distort > Make with top object. Both the group and the smile will have the same color
10. 
11. If you want a different color for the smile, align the extra smile over the teeth.
12. 

As Jacob suggested, draw inside mode would also work. Advantages would be that the teeth could be a different color from the getgo and the teeth would be straight instead of slightly curved.

[barbara_a · Accepted solution]

To get lines to fit inside a shape, like the smile in your example, one way is to use draw inside mode as Jacob suggested. First select the object (the smile in this case), then click on the draw inside icon at the bottom of the Tools panel.

The shape will get dashed lines in the corners, indicating that draw inside mode is turned on for that shape.

Now when you draw additional shapes, like the teeth, they will automatically be masked by the shape.

Remember to click the draw normal mode icon when  when you no longer want to use draw inside mode.

[Jacob Bugge]

Shawn,

In addition to the exquisite suggestions by Barbara, to (re)turn to the fundamental question expressed in the title, an organic compound like calcium citrate malate is far better than (plain) calcium carbonate.

Hi Barbara.

[barbara_a]

Hi Jacob -- Excellent tip! Both of them!

I detailed your draw inside suggestion at Shawn's (private) request.

[Jacob Bugge]

Barbara,

Sometimes you need (someone to) showhow to (get to) knowhow.