You may be able to overlook a bad hair day or an ill-fitting pair of jeans, but if your smile isn’t quite right, there’s no getting over it. Luckily, there is a multitude of ways to fix smile imperfections.
Veneers to get rid of an unsightly gap between your teeth — otherwise known as diastema — are an efficient and permanent solution to improving the look of your teeth. Let’s take a look at what you need to know about veneers.
Causes of diastema
There are quite a few reasons that your teeth may develop a gap.
- Problems with the jaw or gums — If the jaw is misaligned with the teeth, i.e., too large, teeth may compensate and create gaps. This condition can also happen if the jaw bone has weakened due to gum disease.
- Specific actions — Thumb-sucking can sometimes cause pressure on the teeth, causing them to grow in with spaces. Also, if your tongue pushes strongly against your teeth while swallowing, this could shift the position of teeth over time.
- The teeth themselves — Sometimes teeth aren’t a consistent size or are missing altogether. Your mouth may create space or move to fill space, creating gaps between teeth to accommodate the inconsistencies.
Can Veneers Help?
Veneers for a front teeth gap can be a good option for you if the space or gap is too wide for traditional bonding. Veneers work by removing a thin layer of enamel and applying a veneer, typically made from resin composite or porcelain, over the exposed tooth.
Veneers are a permanent solution and protect from environmental factors. They’re realistic and provide an excellent option for ensuring that you have the best-looking smile.
They cannot be removed, however. Before you commit to veneers, be sure that this is the best solution for your diastema and that you are ready to have them for life. Luckily, they’re sturdy, long-lasting, and highly realistic.
Alternative Treatments
There are alternative treatments to porcelain veneers for a front teeth gap, most notably dental bonding. Your dentist can fill a small gap using a resin applied to the surface of your tooth. The resin hardens over time and looks like part of your tooth.
Bonding is a much quicker procedure that requires little preparation. However, it’s not as strong an option and may discolour or chip over time. The resin can be removed from your tooth, and you may have to replace it over the course of your life.
You can also invest in braces or orthodontic work to close the gap between your real teeth. If this is an option, it can take several months to several years to achieve the look you want. Orthodontic work is involved and sometimes uncomfortable, but it is a permanent solution.
Improving Your Smile
Veneers are an excellent way to get the smile you want with a long-lasting solution. Talk to your dentist to find out if you’re a good candidate for porcelain veneers, and finally get the smile you’ve wanted with no gap. Your best smile is waiting.