Gappy Smiles And Missing Teeth – What Can You Do?

Helping Burton patients achieve a beautiful smile and fully functional teeth

While the prime purpose of dentistry is to ensure that patients receive care that enables them to have a healthy and functioning set of teeth (and gums), there has been a significant movement over the past few years towards also helping them to have a more attractive smile. Cosmetic dentistry is no longer restricted to popular treatments such as teeth whitening, but can now correct more significant problems including where gaps exist between the teeth and also replacing missing teeth without the use of dentures.

Along with other practices in the UK, SG Dental and Implant Centre has extended our range of treatments to help patients achieve the smile that they are looking for. We also monitor ongoing innovations and may add more treatments in the future as these become more widespread and reliable.

In today’s blog, we are going to take a look at the problem of ‘gappy’ teeth and the options available where a tooth is missing.

Minor gaps and cosmetic treatments

Before we look at more long-term ways of correcting small gaps in our teeth, it is worth looking at other options such as the use of dental bonding. This can be applied to teeth where small spaces exist at the side of the teeth. It is a non-invasive treatment where the material is applied to the teeth and allowed to harden. It can also be used where small chips are present. While this is an effective and affordable treatment, it may not be the best long term solution but could work for shorter term reasons such as a holiday.

Over time composite will darken and is not as strong as enamel and could break away more easily. A more long term solution to this problem could be the use of porcelain veneers which can last for approximately ten years or so, but may require more complex treatment to be carried out.

Gaps caused by crooked teeth

Many gaps in the teeth are caused by them growing unevenly. This can cause spaces to appear as the teeth move away from each other. In some cases, this can significantly affect the appearance of a person and may cause them to lose confidence in their smile. Other instances may not be as dramatic but can spoil what would otherwise be a beautiful smile.

In this situation, we may recommend that you have orthodontic treatment, or dental braces as they are often called. Modern orthodontics are greatly improved from the more standard braces that you might be familiar with. Most are now less visible and therefore more discreet. Some are even removable by the patient for short periods of time such as when you eat or clean your teeth. There are a wide range of these available for different situations and our experienced dentists will discuss the options with you and recommend the most appropriate treatment. Treatment time will also depend on the situation with significant crookedness sometimes taking a year or more to correct, whilst smaller cosmetic issues may only take a few weeks.

Missing teeth

There are many reasons why you shouldn’t just leave the gap in your teeth when you have lost a tooth. The most obvious of these is your appearance, especially if it is a visible ‘social six’ tooth that shows when you smile. Even ‘hidden’ teeth should be replaced though as the loss of a tooth leads to bone reabsorption in that area and can change the shape of your face, leaving you with an older looking appearance. The gap left by a missing tooth can also encourage other teeth around it to start moving into the empty space, and others may follow. This can lead to teeth becoming more crooked as time goes by.

Traditionally, dentures have been used to replace missing teeth and these are still available for those who choose to have them. Other options are a bridge or dental implants. As the use of a bridge often requires the preparation of otherwise healthy teeth, it is often not the first choice for many people. Increasingly, dental implants are becoming the treatment of choice for replacing a missing tooth or teeth.

Placing dental implants does require invasive treatment but, providing that they are cared for correctly, can provide you with a strong and secure replacement tooth for twenty years and often significantly more. Whilst they may be less familiar to some patients, they have been in use for over fifty years now and have an excellent success rate.

If you are missing a tooth or a number of teeth and have been considering dentures, we highly recommend that you discuss the option of implants with our experienced and friendly team who will be able to explain the process in detail so that you can make an informed decision.

To book your initial appointment at our local Burton clinic, please call SG Dental and Implant Centre today on 01283 845345.