Fixing a Tooth Gap

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I have the same dentist I have used since I was a child. He really is past retirement age and I’m worried he’s not keeping up with advances. I went to him because I’ve always had a tooth gap that I wanted to fix, but was not in a financial position to do anything about it. Now I am. My dentist is suggesting I see an orthodontist for braces. I don’t really want a mouth full of metal for a couple of years especially because I’m in a professional position. I’m hoping there is another option. I suspect there is, because my dentist doesn’t even do teeth whitening. Any direction you can point me would be greatly appreciated.

Kate

Dear Kate,

You were wise to write. If the only thing you have is a tooth gap, there are much better options. The three that come to mind immediately are Invisalign, dental bonding, or porcelain veneers.

Orthodontics: Invisalign

Image of Invisalign Aligners

If you want to actually close the gap, then I would go with Invisalign. These are the modern take on braces for adults. Instead of using metal wires and brackets, they use clear aligners to close your teeth. No one will even know you are wearing them. Even at a conversational distance they are invisible. These will close the gap for you in no time at.

Cosmetic Dentistry: Dental Bonding or Porcelain Veneers

Dental Bonding

A side by side image of teeth before and after dental bonding

Dental bonding uses composite material to fill in the gap. It has to be done freehand, so I would only want an expert cosmetic dentist to do this procedure. When done well, it will blend in with your natural tooth structure perfectly, as pictured above. This used dental bonding to repair a chipped tooth. Once the bonding is on, the color can’t be changed, so if you were wanting to whiten your teeth at any point in the near future, I would get the teeth whitening done before the bonding.

Porcelain Veneers

I would only recommend porcelain veneers if there was more than just a tooth gap that you were wanting to fix. This is typically used for a complete smile makeover. It’s what celebrities use to get that Hollywood smile. Veneers can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth. Like bonding, it requires an expert cosmetic dentist. It also won’t actually close the gap, but will cover it. This is the most expensive option, so I would only use this if you wanted a full-smile makeover.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Solution for a HUGE Tooth Gap

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I have a large tooth gap. I think my dentist said it was about 8-10 millimeters between my front two teeth. I didn’t want braces, so he suggested snap-on smile. I paid for the x-rays and the dentist sent everything in to the company. I received a call this week telling me I’m not really a good candidate for that procedure. He said we could look into Lumineers. These cost a whole lot more than the snap-on smile. If it is my only option, I will bite the bullet. Before I did, though, I wanted to get another opinion on how to handle this.

Mike

Dear Mike,

Image of Invisalign Aligners

I am glad you wrote. Please, please don’t move forward with the Lumineers plan. First, the gap between your two front teeth is substantial. This is large enough to fit another tooth in. It would take one of the top cosmetic dentists in the country to do this correctly. Your dentist said he would “look into” Lumineers. This tells me that he is not trained in cosmetic dentistry. Lumineers is just one brand of porcelain veneers. While the Lumineers brand is highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place, most expert cosmetic dentists find the Lumineers brand inferior. Plus, being easy to put on the teeth has nothing to do with the skill required to make them beautiful and natural looking.

You don’t have to have braces to get the gap closed. I would look into getting Invisalign. These use clear aligners to straighten your teeth instead of the metal wires and brackets that are used with traditional braces. Even at a conversational distance, noone would know that you are straightening your teeth.

Invisalign has another hidden benefit. The aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. Your dentist can provide you with whitening gel that you can wear in the aligners at a time that is convenient to you. This allows you to straighten and whiten your teeth simultaneously.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Fixing a Tooth Gap

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I have a medium-sized tooth gap. My dentist is suggesting we do Lumineers, but I am on kind of a tight budget at the moment. Would I better off getting braces? I’m not too keen on that idea because I’m in my early 30s, but I am ready to get rid of this gap.

Leslie

Dear Leslie,

I’m glad you wrote. I am not going to recommend you go with Lumineers. It is a rather large overtreatment for your situation. The good news is, you can fix this without ugly metal braces. You have two good choices here.

Option One: Dental Bonding

before and after dental bonding

In most cases, dental bonding is the solution. It uses a composite bonding to close up the space. In the picture above, you see it used to repair a chipped tooth. This is not something any dentist can do. You will need to go to an experienced cosmetic dentist, especially since it has to be done freehand. I am not going to recommend you use your dentist for this. My guess is he suggested Lumineers because he doesn’t know how to do dental bonding. The Lumineers brand is often marketed to dentists who are inexperienced with cosmetic dentistry as being easy to place. That is likely why he suggested it. If he does this, you won’t like the results.

One thing to note. While the color can be made to match your teeth perfectly, the color is permanent. If you decide to whiten your teeth in a year, your natural teeth will whiten but your bonding will not. Because of that, I often suggest if you plan on whitening your teeth to do so before you have the bonding done. This will save you money in the long run.

Option Two: Invisalign

Invisalign Aligners

If the only thing you want to fix about your tooth alignment is the gap, then dental bonding is the way to go. It is faster and cheaper than the option I’m giving you now. However, if there are other things about your bite that need to be realigned, it will be worth it to get Invisalign. These are sometimes called invisible braces. That is because they use clear aligners to straighten your teeth. There are no wires or brackets either. No one will even know you have orthodontics on.

Either one of these will work for you and will be a better and less expensive option than your dentist is suggesting.
This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.