Tooth Alignment Without Dental Braces
Ceramic Veneers allow us, in certain cases and always in adults, to correct many cases of Crowding (crooked teeth) and other Dental Misalignments such as Cross Bites, Diastemas (Spaces between teeth), without resorting to dental braces.
The selection of cases is of the utmost importance as we want to achieve an aesthetically beautiful and natural result.
Why always in adults?
Because, unlike the cases of Ceramic Veneers in which the teeth are perfectly aligned and tooth preparation is minimal or even non-existent (See the article Veneers – “Better is Impossible”), when a tooth is projected forward and we want to move it back it is obvious we have to remove more tooth structure (which sometimes implies previous root canal treatments) and this is not ethical in younger ages.
When braces are not an Option
Many patients want to straighten their teeth but don’t want to go through orthodontic treatments for 1.5 to 2 years and they also don’t want to have to keep retainers at the end of the treatment.
Is this technique indicated for all cases?
Not all cases can be solved with this technique. Everything is studied and tested with a mock up made from the patients models before we start. The treatment is done only if we are sure that we are going to get a good result.
I have chosen some of my last cases to illustrate the radical changes that can be achieved with this type of treatment, taking into account the various types of problems mentioned above.
Dental Crowding (Crooked Teeth)
Case of Manuela (fictitious name):
The patient refused to wear Braces despite my insistence that she did so. As the crowding was very marked, before telling the patient that this technique was possible, we did a Mock-up to see the end result, after which we went ahead with the treatment.
See the patient’s photos and comments on the treatment at this link!
Rita’s case (fictitious name):
Rita came to us to improve the aesthetics of her smile: she wanted to have straight teeth without having to wear braces and correct some color alterations in some teeth.
We started by Tooth Whitening of all her teeth and Internal Whitening of the right central incisor, that showed marked discoloration.
We had to do root canal treatment on the upper left canine, for we were going to remove more tooth structure from this tooth, which was more misaligned.
We finished the case with 6 ceramic facts (from canine to canine) with a result that left us and the patient extremely satisfied.
See the photos on our website!
Case of Joana (fictitious name):
Joana came to us because she wanted to have straighter and whiter teeth.
She had already consulted several Dentists and was told that braces and Orthodontic treatment was not indicated for the roots of her front teeth were very short.
We solved the case in 2 months, starting with a Teeth Whitening followed by the placement of 4 Ceramic Veneers on the Incisors of the Upper Jaw for an aesthetically very pleasant and natural result.
See the photos on our website!
Crossbite
Case of Sebastião (fictitious name):
Young patient wanted to harmonize his smile and have whiter teeth.
We started with Tooth Whitening.
To achieve the intended harmony without having to use braces, we corrected the crossbite in just 1 month with two ceramic veneers on the lateral incisors. The gingival contour was also harmonized recontouring the gingiva (gingivoplasty) on the lateral incisors.
See the photos on our website!
Diastemas (spaces between teeth)
Case of Francisca (fictitious name):
Francisca did not like her smile. She wanted to close the space between the central incisors and correct the color of the left central incisor. She also presented a slight deviation from the axis of this tooth.
In these cases, in order to achieve a natural result, we have to distribute the space to be closed over several teeth. If we had chosen to close the space just working on the 2 central incisors, as I often see happening, the result would have been very bad aesthetically, with 2 square and huge central incisors, worse than the initial state!
After a mock up on the models, we changed this smile with a previous bleaching procedure and 6 ceramic veneers, from canine to canine, achieving a very natural result.
The patient was very happy with her new smile, which is always our goal!
See the photos on our website!
Summary
This is an extraordinary technique in which the selection of cases is extremely important, that is, not all cases have the indication to be solved this way. The dentist’s experience, both in the selection of cases and in the execution of the technique, as well as in the choice of an excellent laboratory technician, is essential for a perfect result.
