I need some advice. I have a tooth gap which I finally decided to take action on it. I spoke to my dentist about repairing. The gap is between my two front teeth. It’s not huge, but it is always on my mind when I smile. I want to feel confident. My dentist suggested I get two dental crowns put on my front teeth. I’m not keen on that because the teeth are healthy. Grinding them down to nubs means I’ll always have to wear dental crowns, right? Are there any other options that are less invasive?
Jill R.
Dear Jill,
I’m really relieved you wrote and asked before moving forward with your dentist’s disastrous treatment plan. It’s incredible to me that you recognize the fallacy in this type of “solution”. Yes, you’d be stuck with dental crowns for the rest of your life. Why get rid of all that healthy tooth structure when there are much simpler solutions. However, because your dentist didn’t suggest them it likely means he’s not comfortable doing them. Dentists are proud creatures. If you pressure him into it, he’ll do it rather than admit he’s not good at it. The results will be disastrous. This is not the best dentist for you. I’d really plan on you finding a new one.
So, planning on getting a new dentist for this treatment, what options are available to you?
First, you could close the gap with orthodontics. It used to be that even adults were stuck with a mouth full of metal if they wanted to straighten their teeth. That’s no longer true. In fact, you can straighten your teeth without anyone even knowing that you’re doing it. The aligners truly are invisible, even at a conversational distance.
However, if the only thing wrong with your teeth is that small gap, then you may feel that full blown orthodontics is a bit of an overtreatment. In that case, you can just do dental bonding to close the gap. It uses a white composite filling material to match the color of your teeth. It takes an artistic cosmetic dentist to do this procedure because he will sculpt it by hand.
This next option only should be considered if you’re interested in a complete smile makeover. Using porcelain veneers, you can completely change the shape and character of your smile. It can change not just the shape, but the size and color, as well as cover things like chips and gaps. Like dental bonding, this procedure also requires an expert cosmetic dentist. Ideally, you’d want a dentist who’s reached accreditation level with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). Accredited Cosmetic Dentists are among the top 1% in the world in both skill and artistry. Any smile they create for you will be stunning. In fact, most of them even have a beautiful smile guarantee.
I hope this helps you in your decision making. This blog is brought to you by Dr. Jerome Cha.