What defines a beautiful smile? As a dentist, I can look at your smile and can actually break it down mathematically to see if it fits into the textbook ideal. But really, that’s not important. Often times it’s a personal ideal. That brings me to todays topic. Closing spaces in the front. Sometimes spaces in the front can suit a person. More often than not, people prefer to have them closed. This can be done in more than one way, such as capping or veneering. Sometimes, simply bonding tooth coloured filling material to the sides of teeth can close up spaces. If done correctly, it can look natural, doesn’t involve drilling away any healthy tooth material, can be easily repaired if chipped, and best of all, can be done in one visit. It doesn’t work in every case (for example if the space is too wide or if the bonding makes the tooth look too wide for it’s length), but it’s certainly worth asking about if spaces have been making you self conscious about smiling.
Dr. Jay Rabinovich