I struggled with crowding, discoloration and misaligned teeth. I did extensive amounts of research for cosmetic dentists in my area and was so happy to find Dr. Lawlor at Maine Dentistry. Dr. Lawlor pays very close attention to detail and welcomes any changes you would like to make during the process. I was equally impressed with his practice: gorgeous, clean with such a friendly and accommodating staff! Finding Maine Dentistry was such a blessing, they made the entire process as smooth as possible and I can't recommend them enough!
Hi, Great questions! You are definitely on the right track with your desire to extend the length of the shorter tooth but too often we only focus on the most obvious problem. There are a couple of other things I would do to give you a smile you are proud of and cant stop showing off! First off, that tooth is short, our top teeth should follow the line of the lower lip -this is called your smile line. Yes your tooth should be made longer with a veneer but you also need to look at the bottom teeth and make sure that when you close or chew that you are not going to hit the beautiful new veneer! Also, while we are on it, you should ideally do 2 veneers at a time for symmetry. Another modification I would make is to reduce the gum tissue above your Laterals (side teeth) and veneer those teeth as well. They are slightly sunken in and you want a uniform thickness for all front teeth! Doing these extra steps would cost a bit more but you are going to go from 40% better to 90% better. It helps to have an experienced cosmetic dentist do a full workup to determine exactly what you need to give you a strong, aesthetic, long lasting smile you can be proud of!
You have two basic options, either make your jaw/arch bigger to accomodate the extra teeth, or remove extra teeth to make room. Anyone with common sense would realize that making more room by expanding the arch is a much better treatment. Good on you for researching and not just going with the first recommendation! Veneers are also an option, but more aggressive and unless you had a wedding in two months I would strongly advise against this. You will likely be in Ortho treatment a year and a half. Best of luck!
