This is a question I discovered on Yahoo! Answers, and answered it, and my answer was voted by the readers the best answer to this girl’s question. I share this case with you for the benefit of our visitors.
Is there any way i can make this small gap here go away at home? The small triangular part? Is there any type of file i could use?
Answer:
I didn’t make it a practice to argue with my patients when they came with esthetic concerns, but some situations warrant an exception and this is one of those situations.
I would strongly recommend not doing anything to your front teeth. What you have circled is a very normal incisal embrasure, and if you were to try to square off your front teeth, they would look weird. The opposite side of these front teeth, the sides next to your lateral incisors, are very rounded, so having this embrasure be squared off would look strange.
There are many different natural smile designs. You didnt’ say how old you are, but in looking at the shape and wear patterns on your teeth, and the gums, it looks like you are at the oldest in your early twenties. Your central incisors are a couple of millimeters longer than your other front teeth. This is a smile style that we call the sexy smile. It conveys an impression of youth, sexiness, and boldness. As you get older, the teeth tend to wear down to be more square and more even in length. When that happens, we call that the sophisticated smile. It conveys an impression of sophistication, maturity, and wisdom.
You have a nice-looking smile. I would smile proudly.
By the way, computer imaging for your smile is a way to preview what a cosmetic alteration to your teeth would look like before actually having the work done. That could be an option for you to check out to illustrate what I am telling you.
Dr. Hall
Links: See our smile design page.
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About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
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