Are you unhappy with the appearance of gaps in your smile? If so, you might be considering treatment options to close the gaps. At Rice Dentistry in Irvine, California, we understand that the best option for closing the gaps in your smile depends on the cause of the gaps. Here are five different types of gaps and how best to close them.
Best Diastema Treatment: Orthodontics (Usually)
A diastema is one of the most common causes of gaps in teeth. It’s also the most common cause of gaps between teeth if you’ve had it ever since your front teeth came in A diastema develops if your teeth come in with a gap between them. It’s often caused by a large labial frenum (which connects your lips to the front of your gums).
It’s usually best to use orthodontics to treat diastema because the teeth on either side of the gap are often already quite large. Using techniques that expand them to close the gap makes them look too large and unattractive. However, if your teeth are narrow, we might use veneers or other techniques discussed below.
Best Narrow Teeth Treatment: Veneers
Perhaps the gaps between your teeth are caused by teeth that are too narrow. This is uncommon, but it can happen, often because of peg laterals or retained baby teeth.
If this is the cause of your tooth gaps, then veneers are usually the best approach to close the gaps. At Rice Dentistry in Irvine, veneers can widen your natural teeth to give you the even, wide teeth that close all the gaps. Veneers can also reshape unattractive teeth, make your teeth taller, repair damage, and brighten teeth at the same time.
Best Crooked Teeth Treatment: Orthodontics (Usually)
Sometimes crooked teeth create gaps between your teeth. You might even have gaps in some places and crowded teeth in others.
If you have gaps related to crooked teeth, it’s usually best to use orthodontics to straighten all your teeth and close gaps between teeth at the same time.
However, sometimes veneers are a better choice. We recommend veneers if they will work well and you have other cosmetic problems you want to address at the same time. Veneers are also better if you want results quickly, although with accelerated orthodontics, we can achieve results faster than ever.
Best Missing Tooth Treatment: Dental Implant
Of course, it’s also possible that a gap between your teeth is due to a lost tooth or a tooth that never emerged. Either way, a dental implant at Rice Dentistry in Irvine, California, is usually the best option. Dental implants are like getting a new tooth in the space. An implant has an artificial root that supports it and an attractive, natural-looking crown on top. Implants look and function like natural teeth. And they’re especially good for young people looking to replace a lost tooth because they can last upwards of 50 years.
Best Black Triangles Treatment: Gum Restoration
Sometimes the gaps in your teeth don’t go the entire height of the tooth. Instead, the gaps are shaped like black triangular areas near the base of your teeth. These gaps are caused by receding gums, so we first have to make sure we address gum disease or other causes of receding gums. Then we can close the black triangles.
We can reverse the effects of receding gums with a gum graft. This restores the healthy, youthful appearance of your gums and gives you back your attractive, balanced smile.
You Don’t Have to Live with a Tooth Gap
If you have one or more gaps in your teeth that are making you unhappy, you don’t have to accept them. We have options to close the gaps in your smile. You can have a healthy, attractive smile that you’re proud to show off.
To learn more about closing tooth gaps in Irving or surrounding areas of Orange County, CA, please call (949) 551-5902 today or use our online contact form to request an appointment with a cosmetic dentist at Rice Dentistry.
