In many cases, a gap between your two front teeth can come to completely define your smile and how you come off to others. For some people, that’s perfectly fine—even something that they can take pride in. However, other people aren’t big fans of how gapped teeth (also known as a diastema) makes them look.
If you’re interested in repairing gapped teeth, there are methods that may be able to help you. In fact, there are several of them. Here are a few examples, along with some information that may be able to help you choose between them.
Dealing with Diastema via Orthodontics
One of the first things that comes to people’s minds when it comes to the prospect of fixing gapped teeth is orthodontics. Braces can move your teeth closer together, completely erasing the space between your teeth.
Orthodontics is an excellent option for people who have broader misalignment issues on top of gapped teeth, like if there is space in several places in their smile or if you have an over/under/crossbite.
Dealing with Diastema via Direct Bonding
Direct bonding is a quick and easy fix for minor cosmetic issues, including chips, cracks, and even minor misalignment. If you want to fix a gap between your teeth, your dentist can layer this composite resin onto them in order to subtly reshape them.
Direct bonding is by far the fastest and most inexpensive method of dealing with small gaps in between the teeth, but they can be a little bit limited in what they’re capable of handling. If you have a large diastema, direct bonding may not be able to completely repair it.
Dealing with Diastema via Veneers
If you have more issues with your smile than just the gap in your teeth, veneers can completely transform just about every element of how your teeth look. These thin porcelain shards can cover up your teeth to change their apparent alignment, in addition to their shape and color.
Veneers can be on the pricier side, but the have the benefit of dealing with a wide variety of cosmetic issues all at once. Moreover, they can handle them quickly—in as little as two appointments.
About the Author
Dr. James Kostas grew up here in Burlington, and he absolutely loves being able to help members of his community to develop healthy, beautiful smiles. He finds it enormously satisfying that he doesn’t just see patients, but friends and members of his community. Dr. Kostas received his degree from the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, and completed his residency at the Harvard University Dental School.
If you have any questions about gapped teeth, he can be reached at his website or by phone at (781) 272-0441.
