Patients often refer to porcelain veneers as instant orthodontics because they can quickly transform even the most flawed teeth into a perfectly straight, evenly spaced, and brilliantly white smile. If you’re looking to close gaps in teeth, conceal stains, or correct other cosmetic concerns, it might be time to consider porcelain veneers. One of our most popular cosmetic dentistry services, porcelain veneers can be used to improve the whole smile in just two short visits. Contact us to schedule a cosmetic dentistry consultation at Lake Forest Smiles. Our Lake Forest dentists will examine your smile, discuss your desired end goal, and help you create a personalized treatment plan that delivers your desired smile within your schedule and budget.
Why we Might Recommend Porcelain Veneers for Tooth Gaps
Porcelain veneers are recommended for many patients who want to improve the cosmetic appearance of their smiles, but who otherwise have good oral health. Veneers are thin sheathes of dental-grade porcelain that can be affixed to the front-facing surfaces of teeth to conceal chips, cracks, stains, and gaps. If patients have teeth that are unevenly spaced but they do not have more advanced orthodontic issues, porcelain veneers may be an excellent, minimally invasive treatment option to improve the cosmetic appearance of the smile. The process is simple. We remove a small amount of surface enamel to prepare the teeth on either side of the gap(s) to receive porcelain veneers. We capture impressions of the prepared teeth, design a porcelain veneer to fill the gap, and place a temporary to protect prepared teeth. Once we receive the final restoration, you’ll return to our office to exchange the temporary with a custom porcelain veneer.
Your Alternative Treatment Options
If you’re one of our many patients who have unevenly spaced teeth, you may want to change the way these spaces effect your overall appearance. When it comes to treating over-large gaps between teeth, you have a few different treatment options. Like any dental treatment plan, it’s important you completely understand your potential options because no dentistry service is right for every patient. Some of the ways we can help you close gaps between teeth include:
- Orthodontics – if the spacing concerns affecting your smile’s appearance also impact the function of your teeth and the way your bite fits together, the result can be excessive tooth wear or unnecessary jaw strain. In these cases, we may recommend patients receive orthodontic treatment rather than simply changing the cosmetic aspect. We offer traditional braces, Invisalign, and Fastbraces.
- Direct bonding – for those patients who have minimal spacing between teeth, we may recommend dental bonding to close the gap. This procedure uses the tooth-colored composite resin utilized in dental fillings to repair cosmetic flaws. We refill the gap between teeth with this malleable material, leaving patients with flawless smiles.
- Dental crowns – if patients just have one or two areas where there are large gaps between teeth, one or more crowns may be placed over the teeth to create a seamless smile line.