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One tooth shorter than other

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:33 am
by teacher61
I am about to be finished with my Invisalign treatment next week. Before I started I had one front tooth shorter than the other due to bonding that had worn down on that tooth. It is probably 1/8 inch shorter. It seems more noticible now after the Invisalign treatment. Everything else is perfect except this. I don't want the longer tooth to be filed down because then it would look awkward. What are my options?

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 11:14 am
by PaulInc
One of my lower centrals is worn a bit and when aligned with the others it's going to be quite noticable, as it already is. Despite the challenges with bonding to the top surface of a tooth, i'd still want to give it a try and see how long it lasts.

There's also crowns or veneers, but i hear too many people with unsatisfactory results when just doing one tooth.

I was just going to post with a similar problem!

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 12:23 pm
by PinkKitty
My dentist wants to do a veneer just on the one tooth (one of my 2 front teeth is shorter).

I am really worried that it might not match. It sounds like that has been the case for some members here?

I am thinking to look for a 2nd opinion from a dentist that specializes in bonding.

Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 4:44 pm
by PaulInc
Just repeating what i've read written by cosmetic dentists, and some patients who've had poor results. The dentists say it's the hardest thing to do to get just one veneer to match and look natural. I am sure it's possible, but i'd expect a visit to a very high end practice and to be paying a lot of money. From what i've read, expect to pay £800 or approx $1200 for a good veneer in the UK. I'd also want to see a portfolio of previous works.

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 12:26 am
by Leelee
Here's a great website which I reference often: http://www.mynewsmile.com. It's maintained by a retired cosmetic dentist, and has a referral page for recommended cosmetic dentists in each U.S. state. I even found my Invisalign dentist there :)

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:36 am
by holograms
Hi,

I have the smae issue, with my frint top teeth. One is noticebly longer than the other. My dentist have offer to either shorten a tooth, or put veneers on the other - depending which suits my face shape.

Ask your dentist what after treatment they offer.

Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 1:47 pm
by mcawful
I'm currently waiting for refinements and am stuck in the same boat. One of my lateral incisors is much shorter than the other, and it makes everything look off-kilter.

My orthodonist's solution was essentially to use the "good" lateral incisor as a model for the rest of the incisors. My central incisors will be intruded slightly, so they match up with the "good" tooth, and another attempt will be made to extrude the short lateral incisor. The extrusion will be minor, since the centrals are being intruded. Basically everything is going to meet in the middle.

It is true that extrusion is a huge limitation of Invisalign. It's not something they advertise (much like attachments), but it should be a consideration when looking into orthodontic treatment.

Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 1:50 pm
by mcawful
Oh, I should also mention that most orthodontists would probably consider the need for follow-up bonding/crowns/veneers a failure on their part.