I have a humongous tooth gap. It’s so large, you could likely fit another tooth in between the two spaces. My dentist is suggesting two things. I’m not sure I’m crazy about either of them. One is a snap-on smile. The other is Lumineers. I don’t like that the snap-on smile isn’t permanent. The Lumineers are, but cost a fortune. Because of that, I wanted to check if there are other options my dentist might be overlooking. I’m too old for braces which is why that’s not an option I’m considering.
Danny
Dear Danny,
I’m glad you wrote. Both of the things your dentist suggested would range from disappointing to disastrous. Not many patients are happy with snap-on smile for anything but a photo shoot. It’s a decent temporary solution. And I do mean decent. They will be no where near as stunning as a smile makeover with porcelain veneers. Plus, even with careful treatment, they only last a few years. That leads me to the Lumineers.
Even if you were willing to pay that much money to fix this gap, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that brand of porcelain veneers. Their lab is not known for producing beautiful results. In addition, they are often marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place because they don’t “require” tooth preparation. Unfortunately, in most cases, those results end up bulky looking.
In your particular case, if you decided to go with porcelain veneers the size of your gap would require you hire one of the top cosmetic dentists in the country. That would likely be even more expensive than what your dentist quoted you.
The Affordable Tooth Gap Solution
When there is a small tooth gap, it is generally closed up using dental bonding. This is a composite resin that can be hand sculpted onto your teeth to fix chips and gaps. However, as mentioned above, the size of your gap complicates things.
You mentioned you are too old for braces. Is that something your dentist told you or are you feeling like you are too old to have a bunch of metal wires and brackets? Many adults feel that way. Plus, sometimes you have a professional position in which appearance is an important factor.
By any chance did your dentist mention Invisalign. This is a huge advancement in orthodontics. It allows you to straighten your teeth (or in your case close tooth gaps) invisibly. Instead of metal, it uses clear aligners to gently guide your teeth into a new position.
This is actually what I’d recommend to a patient in your position.
This blog is brought to you by Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis of Portage, MI.