Diastema Closure // Closing The Gap
So you have a gap between your front teeth. This is also known as a diastema. Do you like it? If yes, great! If not, there are several options for closing the spaces that need to be carefully considered.The first and most important factor is tooth size. Are your teeth small? Would you be happy if they were larger? Many times, when there are gaps, the teeth tend to be below average when it comes to their size. Closing the gaps orthodontically by pushing them together would not have an aesthetically pleasing result.
If you aren’t sure how you would look with bigger teeth, a great way to find out would be to have a dentist do an in-office cosmetic mockup. It takes a few minutes and involves temporarily placing some material on your teeth so you can preview the final results. Once you know you would like to proceed with increasing the size of your teeth to close the gap, you need to decide if you would like to do this with composite resin or porcelain. Closing gaps with resin requires zero drilling or removal of tooth structure, but closing gaps with porcelain crowns or veneers does require a significant amount of enamel removal, putting the teeth at risk for future problems later on.
If you think your teeth are the correct size and you would like to close the gap by pushing the teeth together, proceed with caution. While gaps do close quite easily and quickly with clear aligners, this movement is usually unstable since the roots are not moved completely but rather tipped in, so as soon as you remove the retention the space can start to open up. Many times, a permanent bonded retainer that stays on the tongue side of your teeth is needed to keep the gap closed for life. Another common complication with closing the gap on your top teeth is that your bottom teeth will no longer fit into that space. Picture a jar that has a lid, and the lid is your upper teeth. If you push everything together, the diameter of the lid will be smaller and no longer fit on the jar! This can result in you not being able to close your teeth together and is a common complication with many DIY at home aligner treatments, since they often to don’t consider the rest of your teeth in the problem-focused treatment plans.
Occasionally, you may need a combination of orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry to close your gap perfectly. Everyone’s mouth is unique; there are many factors to consider. There is no one size fits all solution to closing the gap. We offer virtual consultations so you can get an idea of what would work best for you before making an in-person appointment. Please check out our booking page as well as our before and after page which showcases different examples of closing gaps in teeth.
