Diastema
Treatment Choices...........
Frequently Mother Nature creates
a few spaces between our top front teeth. These spaces are
called diastemas. Some people are just fine with them while
others think they look sexy. Even others find them unappealing
and wish to have them changed or closed.
There are four basic choices in dealing
with diastemas:
Do nothing and enjoy the characterization
of your personality while smiling
See an orthodontist who can close these spaces down through
braces and essentially move all your teeth around over the
course of treatment. Treatment may take one to four years
depending on the case. This is a very good choice and provides
the least intervention to the individual tooth.
Choice three involves the use of porcelain veneers. These
are micro thin pieces of porcelain that are bonded to the
outside of the tooth. They are an excellent choice in many
situations. However, frequently they require the shaving
or carving down of the outside and in-between surfaces of
your teeth. Also known as Instant Orthodontics.
The fourth choice is using what is called a conventional
crown and bridge. There is, in certain circumstances, a
very specific need to adopt this technology. Shaving or
precision carving down of your tooth is done here as well,
to an even larger extent than porcelain veneers. There are
nonetheless significant advantages for this technology.
There is a far greater control in the manipulation of the
"apparent’ location of the teeth. This translates to
a greater ability to "move" the tooth from a perception
perspective and therefore create a better esthetic result.
Even more important than this, again, where indicated, there
is less flexure of a tooth with a porcelain crown than a
porcelain veneer.
Important Considerations
for Choosing Treatments
If there is not a sturdy, largely
un-compromised tooth under a veneer, the tooth will flex
during chewing and porcelain will fracture. This occurs
often. Patients who grind their teeth can also be at risk
for damaging certain types of veneer applications.
When you have a porcelain crown there
is more substructure over the tooth that resists this flexing
and therefore less likely to fracture.
