I have been embarrassed by the gap in my smile for several years. My dentist knows I have been bothered by it for some time. He has recently learned how to do Lumineers and has just gotten his certification. He said they could close the gap for me. I was excited about that until I saw the price tag. Are there other solutions? I know I could get braces, but I am not exactly keen on the idea. I’m rather past the age where I’d look cute with a mouth full of metal.
Presley
Dear Presley,
I am glad you wrote. This could have ended up a disaster. I am certain your dentist has good intentions and he is only trying to solve your problem with using a new skill, but it is a massive overtreatment for a tooth gap. There are better, less expensive, and less invasive treatments.
Solution One: Dental Bonding
The quickest solution is to close the gap with dental bonding. The image above is an example of dental bonding repairing a chipped tooth. To do this a dentist will sculpt composite bonding onto your teeth. Because it is sculpted freehand, this is an advanced procedure. I don’t think your dentist is qualified to do this for reasons I’ll go over in a moment.
Option Two: Invisalign
Invisalign Aligner
I don’t know if your dentist ever mentioned this, but you no longer have to wear metal wires and brackets in order to straighten your teeth. Now you can use Invisalign, which uses clear aligners. These are removable, which makes it simple to brush and floss your teeth every day. It also has a hidden benefit. The aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. If you want, you can ask for some whitening gel from your dentist and you will be able to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time.
While your dentist can do the Invisalign if he has invested in that training, as I mentioned before, you won’t want him to do the bonding. He suggested Lumineers to you, this is a brand of porcelain veneers, which is highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists. The training they receive is just attending a seminar. It doesn’t give him any practical training and it takes years to develop the artistry necessary to do a good job on porcelain veneers. Bonding is even more challenging. If you choose to go with dental bonding instead of Invisalign, I recommend you find an AACD accredited dentist. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country.
This blog is brought to you by La Jolla Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Stephen Doan.