Using Veneers to Seal the Front Tooth Gap

If you watched the 1995 comedy film Houseguest, you may remember lead character Kevin Franklin (Sinbad) being introduced to a very attractive woman. The only downside was that the woman had a visible gap─ a diastema─ between her front teeth whenever she smiled. Such a problem can be fixed through orthodontic solutions, but if you cannot undergo the lengthy process, your cosmetic dental practitioner may help out with installing veneers, or pre-shaped porcelain shells.

A consultation with your dentist should reveal the extent of the problem. A patient may want his diastema to be covered; to this end, the patient’s overall dental health will be taken into account. If deemed eligible, a cast will be made of the patient’s teeth to assist the dentist in shaping the veneers. The patient can be allowed to choose the veneers’ appropriate shade of white.

The veneers’ size must look natural with the rest of the row. Some cosmetic dentists state that if the front teeth’s gap is too large, covering them with veneers can make the front teeth bigger than they really are. At best, your dentist will compensate by setting up veneers on the lateral incisors, or the teeth adjacent to the front teeth.

A gap in the front tooth can pose problems with speech and eating. Patching them up with veneers may go a long way to resolving such problems.