Smiling is the first thing that people notice about you. And sometimes the gap between the front teeth is unaesthetic and makes you conscious of your appearance. This gap is called distomer in dental terminology and is a very common problem faced by many. Before we go into the treatment options let’s find out why the gaps occur in the first place from Dr Richa Vats. She specializes in implantology, smile makeover, laser dentistry, rotary endodontics & geriatric dentistry.
Reasons Why You Get GapBetween the Front Teeth
According to Dr. Vats, gaps between the teeth occur:
- If there are congenitally missing single or multiple teeth.
- One or more teeth are smaller in size than the remaining others. Or retained deciduous teeth.
- Comparatively smaller teeth for a larger jaw size.
- Unhealthy habits like tongue thrusting (due to an improper swallowing reflex) and thumb sucking. These push the front teeth forward and create spaces between them.
- Interference by labial frenum, which is a thick muscular tissue that connects the upper lip to the gums. This sometimes extends in between the teeth causing an unaesthetic gap. Hence this has to be removed before proceeding with any closure.
- Poor gum health which leads to migration of teeth resulting in not only unaesthetic spaces but also affecting your occlusion adversely.
How To Fix Get GapBetween Front TeethWithout Braces
Dr. Vats suggests some of the best treatment options to fix gaps between front teeth:
Direct bonding
Dental bonding or cosmetic bonding is a quick, easy, and economical way to close the gap between the teeth. In this procedure a resin is chosen with your matching shade and is shaped to match the adjacent tooth. It is then hardened with UV light. This can be performed in a single visit.
Porcelain veneers
They are highly cosmetic and have a longer life span and are much stronger than the direct bonding.
A veneer is a thin piece of porcelain which masks only the facial surface of your tooth covering any imperfections or gaps. These are processed in the lab and cemented in the clinic. The downside is that they are costly, they chip off sometimes and some extra tooth structure needs to be removed to accommodate the thickness of the veneer.
Porcelain crowns
These are much stronger than porcelain veneers and are used to cover larger gaps. They cap the tooth all around and hence are less conservative. Also, the cost is high because they are fabricated in the laboratory. The upside is that they are more like a permanent solution.
Clear aligners
This treatment is highly conservative and needs no tooth preparation. You have to wear a series of aligners over a period of time. The gap reduces gradually and finally comes to a closure. Since it is clear, it’s highly aesthetic. It only has two pitfalls, the span of the treatment is long and its highly expensive but is more like a permanent solution.
All the above mentioned treatment modalities do not fit every individual but consulting your dentist can let you be more aware of your conditions and it’s treatment. So even if the gap is not bothering you still get it checked by your dentist !
Keep up that beautiful smile!
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