If you suffer from diastema, also known as gapped teeth, a cosmetic dentist can help. Diastema occurs when certain teeth have grown in but do not match up, or the jaw has extra space that the teeth cannot fill. Usually, gapped teeth are genetic, but it can often be caused by a missing tooth, tongue thrusting, or periodontal disease. If you have diastema due to periodontal disease, you should have the infection treated before pursuing cosmetic improvements. If you have naturally gapped teeth, but do not want a straightening treatment, we can provide you with a few cosmetic dentistry options that can improve your teeth, which will help you feel more comfortable with your smile.
- Dental Bonding: If gaps are not severe, tooth bonding, or dental bonding, is usually the first cosmetic dentist treatment we suggest. During this procedure, dental resin in a pliable form will be applied to the sides of your teeth to create a shapely appearance that will fill in gaps. The bonding is tooth-colored to blends in with your teeth, providing a natural appearance. Dental bonding looks best when used on smaller gaps. Once the bonding is applied, the cosmetic dentist will harden the substance and buff it into a realistic-looking state.
- Dental Veneers: For larger gaps between teeth or for several gaps that need to be corrected, dental veneers are our second most commonly used option. Veneers are custom-created, thin shells of porcelain cemented to the fronts of your teeth. Those placed by the cosmetic dentist will fill in gaps and give you a fuller-looking smile. Veneers are tooth-colored and finished with a material that provides a similar sheen to that of your natural enamel.
- Dental Crowns: If you have a gap every few teeth, another viable option would be our dental crowns. These natural-colored crowns will encase your entire tooth, giving it a fuller shape that will properly occupy any gap space. If you have gaps due to missing teeth, we can apply a tooth-colored crown to a replacement option like a dental bridge or implant. These structures will attach to surrounding teeth or directly to your jaw bone to provide a permanent replacement for missing teeth. We will cover your bridge or implant with a crown to give it a proper, natural-looking dental prosthetic.
We can discuss our dental replacement options more fully when you come in for an appointment. Whichever replacement you choose will be dependent on the soundness of your dental structure and what durability and use you desire from your replacement.
Our cosmetic dentist corrective treatments will fill in your gaps as naturally as possible. These are minimally invasive procedures that do not require much chair time unless you desire a replacement option. Dental replacements take more time but provide permanent results. With most of these treatments, very little anesthetics are necessary, but we will offer them to make you as comfortable as possible. Our materials are long-lasting, stain-resilient, and durable against wear and damage.
