Available Treatment Options
Ebooks
Spacing
Overview
You’ve been taking good care of your teeth over the years. You’ve flossed, brushed, and done everything your dentist recommended to keep your teeth clean and white.
For the most part, you love your smile – except for the gap between your front teeth.
Spacing in your teeth may be small, but can still make you feel self-conscious. It can be caused by missing teeth, teeth shifting, thumb-sucking as a child, gum disease, or overgrown frenum (the tissue above the two front teeth).
Fortunately, there are several treatments to fix spacing in teeth. But since treatment options vary in cost and effectiveness, it can be tricky to decide which procedure is best for you.
Why Do You Need to Fix Spacing in Teeth?
Besides its effect on your confidence, widely spaced teeth may also affect your oral hygiene. Teeth gaps tend to trap food particles, which trigger bacteria and plaque build-up in your mouth. If unchecked, this may weaken your gums and teeth, causing complications such as periodontitis, tooth decay, and gingivitis.
Gaps between teeth can also result in a misaligned bite. This can make chewing difficult and painful, as well as cause pain in the jaw and ear. Worse still, chewing difficulties may force you to swallow large chunks of food, which can cause digestive problems.
How Can You Fix Spacing in Teeth?
Depending on the complexity of your situation, the following treatments are available to fix spacing in teeth
Composite Veneers:
It is the quickest, easiest, and cheapest way to fix spacing in teeth. Your dentist will shape and apply a tooth-colored resin material on the affected spot. They’ll then harden it with a special light to secure it in place.
The procedure can be completed in a single dental visit.
Although this procedure is simple and economical, it has a few drawbacks:
- The composite material may stain over time and cause tooth discoloration.
- It’s also not as durable as other teeth restorations as the bonding material may break and chip off several years down the line.
- Veneers
If you’ve discolored and/or chipped teeth that also have gaps, veneers may be your best treatment option. They’re ceramic or porcelain shells that the dentist places and bonds over your teeth to cover gaps and other imperfections.
Veneers are a great option because they do not stain and they are far more permanent. The color and shape can be custom designed to look and feel more natural.
- Braces and Clear Aligners:
For more severe cases of teeth spacing, you may need to see an Orthodontist to prescribe you the right braces or clear aligners.
Both techniques restore your teeth to their ideal position and improve your smile while promoting proper function.
Braces use metal/ceramic brackets to restore your teeth to their normal position while clear aligners utilize a set of clear plastic trays. A complimentary in office consultation can help you decide which option would be your best way to go.
