Are Tooth Gaps Harmful?
A tooth gap might be popular with some celebrities, but not all tooth gaps are a sign of a healthy smile. Here’s how to tell if your tooth gap needs to be treated to protect your oral health.
Dental veneers have soared in popularity in recent years, due largely to their versatility in correcting a lot of different smile flaws. Typically placed in just a couple of office visits, veneers give an almost instant improvement in your smile aesthetics and your confidence, too.
At Dr. Taylor’s Family Dental Center, Marvin Taylor, DDS, offers state-of-the-art porcelain veneers with durable results that look beautifully natural. Here are six common dental problems that can be corrected with veneers.
Few things can age a smile faster than stained teeth. Fortunately, many stains are superficial, affecting only the upper layers of tooth material. But some tooth stains and discoloration are located in the deeper part of the tooth where professional whitening treatment can’t reach.
By covering the tooth surface, veneers correct the stains and discoloration that make your smile look worn and unattractive. Custom coloring means your veneer will blend beautifully with your other teeth, too.
Teeth are strong, but they’re not impervious to damage. If you chew on ice, bite down on a hard object, or get hit in the mouth, you might find yourself with a cracked tooth that needs to be repaired.
Veneers can be a great option for repairing many types of cracks. Not only will a veneer help your tooth look healthy, but the adhesive and porcelain material help prevent decay-causing bacteria from getting inside the crack, too.
Sure, a handful of celebrities might look good with a signature gap between their front teeth — but they are the exceptions. For the rest of us, one or more gaps can make our smiles look uncared for. Plus, gaps provide ideal locations for bacteria and plaque, making cavities and gum disease a lot more likely.
Veneers close up gaps in your teeth, giving you a healthy-looking, beautiful smile. Plus, by eliminating those little spaces, it’s easier to keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy, too.
If you have really crooked teeth, braces or aligners are probably going to be your best bet. But for less severe alignment issues — like one or more teeth turned slightly out of alignment — veneers can provide an aesthetic correction without the need for orthodontics.
Bonded to the tooth surface using strong adhesives, veneers can be shaped and adjusted so your teeth look straighter and healthier. Dr. Taylor will be able to determine if veneers are suitable for your specific alignment issues.
Your teeth play a big role in your overall facial symmetry. If you have one or more teeth that are short or misshapen, it can really detract from your overall appearance.
Because they can be custom shaped, veneers are an ideal solution for optimizing your tooth size and shape and restoring that ideal symmetry. Adhered to your natural teeth, veneers can correct size and shape irregularities and give you the confident smile you want.
Like a cracked tooth, chipped teeth are pretty common. Chips typically happen when we bite down on a hard object or get hit in the mouth, either from a fall or from an object.
Chips don’t just look unattractive — they can weaken your tooth and make it more prone to decay. Veneers cover the crack for better smile aesthetics while providing a barrier between your tooth and harmful bacteria.
The ability to correct a host of cosmetic flaws has earned veneers a well-deserved reputation as the “workhorse” of cosmetic dentistry. If you’d like to find out how veneers can help you enjoy a more beautiful, more confident smile, call our office in Waterford, Michigan, or book an appointment online today.
