APRIL, 1997 - Closing Gaps In Your Teeth

There are different causes for having spaces in your mouth:

Personal habits such as tongue thrusting, nail bitting, or other. Heredity of missing teeth can cause spacing. Gum and bone disease leading to extractions Extensive decay leading to extractions,

Each problem must be dealt with individually for the best results.

Have you ever met someone that will have a spot on their face and while talking to them your eyes will continuously focus back to that annoying area? Your thought process cannot concentrate when there is no harmony in something or someone. Spacing can cause the people to look from your eyes to your mouth.

There are really three ways of correcting these problems.

1. Repositioning through the help of Orthodontics (braces)
2. Restoration through the help of bonding, laminates and crowns
3. Hidding through the help of bridges and optical illusions

Orthodontics is the movement of teeth over a period of time to adjust and harmoniously beautify the smile and the face. It is generally the very best way of closing a space in the front of the mouth. Braces can vary in design and position depending on the extend of the spacing.

The advantages of orthodontics:

Closes spaces

Permanent solution

No tooth reduction

May be least expensive treatment

The disadvantages of orthodontics:

Takes between six to twenty-four months

Possible relapse

Difficulty in cleaning, possibly affecting gums and causing cavities

Bonding is often a very good solution for closing small gaps. It requires almost no tooth reduction. Depending on the area and surface, bonding may be weak and difficult to hold due to possible stresses when bitting and grinding.

The time to do a bonding however is very reasonable (one to two hours).

The advantages of bonding:

Little or no reduction of teeth

No anaesthesia

Reversible procedure

Reasonably priced

Possibility to brighten teeth

The disadvantages of bonding:

Can come off, break off easy

Discolor

Dull appearance over time

Crowning is probably used very often for people with sever multiple spacing, time constraints and esthetic concerns. Crowns can be made within a two week period and the color can be dramatically changed since the whole tooth is covered. However only if all the teeth are crowned should the color be brighten.

The advanges of crowning:

Last much longer than bonding

Are more life-like

The disadvantages of crowning:

Can fracture

Requires anaesthesia

More costly

Require tooth reduction

Finally, when teeth are missing, BRIDGES are the solution either through the use of teeth (used as anchors to hold the bridge)on either side of the missing tooth or through the use of implants. The latter will require bone to be available to be properly placed. These prostheses often can be done by the lab and the dentist to cause somekind of optical illusion for people not to see that you carry a crown, a bridge, an implant or a denture.

The advantages of bridges:

Improves your bite

Does not allow for movement of teeth

The disadvantages of bridges:

Difficulty in cleaning, flossing

More tooth reduction

Dr. Michael Farahnic

Always Your Choice is proud to acknowledge Dr. Michael Farahnick for his authorship in the dental articles. Dr. Farahnick is a practitioner of Dentistry, including both prevention and treatment. His practice involves all age groups and he has expertise in the area of accomodating the patient who has dental fears. He also is an instructor of dentistry at New York University School of Dentistry. We are proud to refer to Dr. Farahnick and he has become the dentist of many of our patients at the office. His contribution to our web site is greatly appreciated.

Dr. Michael Farahnick's office is located at: 405 Lexington Avenue (The Chrysler Building) Suite 6900 New York, NY 10174 - 0360 His office may be
reached at : 212 - 557 - 1234 E-mail:softstick@tiac.net