Small Lateral Teeth
Building up Smaller Teeth
Occasionally, orthodontic patients may require dental work to increase the size of small teeth. The lateral incisors are the teeth most often involved. Genetically these teeth may develop smaller than the average size of a lateral tooth. They are sometimes referred to as “peg laterals.” This may have been discussed at your orthodontic consultation.
The job of the orthodontist is to align your teeth into proper position. Ensuring that your teeth are in the proper position AND your bite is corrected can result in some spacing between your upper front teeth. This is normal and expected when some of the incisors are small or malformed.
At the appropriate time your general dentist will add tooth coloured filling (composite) material to either side of the smaller sized tooth. He/she will then carefully shape and contour the edges so it matches the shape and contours of your adjacent teeth. This is called “building the tooth up”. Some dentists like to complete this procedure while the braces are on, and some prefer to do it once the braces are removed.
The results look quite natural. Keep in mind that having restorative work done to your teeth will require some care and maintenance. Over time the tooth coloured fillings may discolour and will need to be replaced.
