My Front Teeth are Different Lengths - What Are my Options?

Without a picture it is hard to know how much shorter this tooth is compared to the one next to it.  You also mentioned that the tooth is discolored.  Without seeing it I would say that you could correct the issue with a porcelain veneer or porcelain crown.  Your dentist should always try to be as conservative as possible when treating any tooth.  The veneer is the more conservative option if it turns out to be an option in your case.  

Before deciding on any treatment choices, it is prudent to determine why the tooth has changed or has it always been this way?  If it has not always been this way, then something is shifting or you may have some root issues with the tooth.

If it has been this way, then some artistic recontouring maybe all that is needed.  Explore your options based on the recommendations of the the dentists who answered your questions.

Good luck.

 

Ronald W. Konig DDS, FAGD, LVIF

Since you are only 21, I would not want to remove any more tooth structure than necessay. If the tooth is intact, except for the root canal, dental resin bonding may be a good solution. The tooth can be made to look natural and color can be corrected with the bonding or a walking bleach to lighten just the one tooth. A veneer or crown are options, but potentially more aggressive. Talk to your dentist about the many options you have.

Either a porcelain veneer or crown can be placed on your root canaled tooth, while the other middle tooth may be a good candidate for a very conservative veneer.  It's quite challenging to get the two middle teeth to match perfectly especially if one is much shorter and darker than the other one.  It's critical to have the two middle teeth be as close to twins to have a pleasing smile.  Also, you may want to consider bleaching first to have all of your teeth lighter and more uniform in color, which makes the match that much easier.

Since you are 21 and you want to keep your front tooth for a life time you should explore the most conservative treatment options to the most complex. 

 -First, find a cosmetic oriented dentist. 

-Second, ask them if they successfully can do walking bleach and will that help the color of your front tooth. 

-Walking bleach is when the dentist puts medication in the tooth, seals it up and lets you walk around for 3 weeks so it can do the job, repeating this process until it has acehived the desired result. 

-After that you can do bonding to lenghten the short tooth understanding that you will need to be careful with your habits and wearing a protective appliance at night.  You can also shorten the other tooth to match if you feel that will work.  You can always do more advanced treatment later-ie a veneer to match or a crown if necessary.

Unfortunately without an xray  there is no way to tell  the reason why it is shorter.

Esthetically a crown or veneer will  fix the situation most likely

Generally speaking, there are two choices.  The longer tooth can be polished down to match the adjacent tooth, or the adjacent tooth can be added to so that the size is the same.  Since one tooth has been treated with root canal therapy, it is likely that the best treatment is a full crown or a porcelain veneer.  When this is created, the restoration can be made symmetrical to the adjacent tooth.

It sounds like your root canal tooth has fused to the bone (ankylosed). The other teeth continued to erupt as you grew. The color and length discrepancy can be corrected with a crown, veneer, or bonding. A crown may be the best option to also protect the tooth left more brittle by loss of vitality and subsequent root canal treatment. You can view before and after photos on this site of similar situations