Misaligned and Crowded Teeth

Misaligned teeth are usually corrected by orthodontic treatment, which commonly takes two or more years and involves the bonding of braces to the teeth and the placement of wires and rubber bands that connect individual orthodontic components together. Light forces are used to slowly move the teeth into the desired position. The orthodontic appliances are usually very visible during that time. After the completion of the orthodontic treatment, a patient often has to wear a retainer for the rest of his life to maintain the corrected position of his teeth.

In certain cases Aesthetic Dentistry may be a valid choice to correct misaligned teeth invisibly and quickly (it ususally takes only two to three weeks). If your teeth are misaligned only slightly, extensive orthodontic treatment may not be necessary and a minor cosmetic correction by placing ceramic veneers or crowns may handle your situation perfectly. Orthodontic retainers will not be necessary.

This patient was only interested in getting her lower teeth straightened. She is a public figure and was not interested in wearing braces and retainers.		Two weeks after the initial preparation of her teeth, she received six Empress veneers. The veneers were bonded.

This patient never liked her dominant "Bugs Bunny" teeth and decided to do something about it (left). She received 10 upper porcelain veneers to make her teeth straight, get them into proper proportions, and to make them brighter and more youthful (right). She became very emotional, when she saw her new teeth. She stated (with tears of happiness in her eyes),"I wished I had done it many years ago, when I was younger!"

This patient had an incompletely erupted canine and an irregular gum line (left). She was not interested in any orthodontic treatment. She received adjustive gum surgery and a total of 6 veneers. Note the healthy and equilibrated gum line and a "fully erupted" canine (right).

top^