Making improvements with an underbite when replacing missing teeth.
Dental discussion:
This smile's cosmetic dilemma ...
When this person submitted their photo they gave us some information about their teeth. First off they stated that they wore a removable partial denture. A partial denture is an appliance that is used to replace missing teeth. A partial denture is removable in the sense that it is not cemented into place but instead held in position by clasps that clip onto the person's own natural teeth. A partial denture is taken out and cleaned each time the person brushes their teeth.
They also brought to our attention that they have an "underbite". By this we mean that when this person closes their teeth all of the way together their upper front teeth lie behind their lower front teeth. Normal occlusion is the reverse.
Cosmetic dentistry makeover:
Our suggestions for a cosmetic dentistry solution:
Per usual, since we are just dealing with a single picture of this person's smile rather than actually being able to examine them its hard to make any comments regarding their underbite. The types of changes we have illustrated in our "after" picture are really intended to just show a process of idealizing the general shape and color of the teeth, not making any significant changes in the way the teeth come together. Making changes so to correct this person's underbite would likely need to involve both surgical and orthodontic treatment. This is beyond the scope of the type of dental procedures we choose to discuss here on Dental-Picture-Show.com.
The changes we have illustrated for this person's upper teeth could be accomplished by using some combination of dental crowns and porcelain veneers. The center two upper front teeth seem to show excessive wear and because of this no doubt these teeth would need dental crowns placed on them. This is because dental crowns can offer much greater strength than porcelain veneers. Depending on the determination made by the dentist performing this work, porcelain veneers might suffice for making the changes we have shown for the other upper front teeth.
The changes we have illustrated for the lower teeth is one where artificial replacement teeth have been placed and some shape changes made with some of the natural teeth so to give everything a more even and symmetrical appearance. It seems that dental crowns would be best suited for making the shape changes for the natural teeth. The missing teeth could be replaced by way of a removable partial denture, dental bridges, dental implants, or some combination of these items. This person's dentist would simply need to evaluate them, determine which of these approaches could be appropriate, and then discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each type of treatment.
Additional notes about our cosmetic dentistry treatment plan.
With some of the lower teeth the shape changes we have illustrated are significant. In these cases there is a possibility that root canal treatment would be needed before the dental crowns could be placed.
If you look at this person's gum line you will see a band of redness where the gums and teeth meet. This can be a sign of gum disease. If this is the case this condition needs to be treated and brought under control before any cosmetic dental work is performed.