While your face might be largely symmetrical, one half is probably not an exact mirror image of the other. It might even be that your face would look rather different if it were perfectly symmetrical. But there is one part of your face where perfect symmetry is desirable, and that's your smile. If there was a vertical line down the centre of your smile, you would want each half to be a mirror reflection of the other. Of course, sometimes this isn't the case. Sometimes this is due to an accident or a periodontal issue, such as a chipped tooth due to injury or a tooth that has degraded due to decay. It can also be something that has occurred naturally, and the width of a certain tooth might be different to its corresponding tooth. But there are ways to correct this.
Dental Veneers and Crowns
A cosmetic dentist can offer a viable solution, particularly when the tooth has become damaged. If only the outward facing surface of the tooth needs attention, then this could be covered with a dental veneer, fabricated to be a precise match in shape and colour to its corresponding tooth. If the entire tooth needs to have its shape corrected, along with additional stability, then an entire dental crown to cover the tooth could be the best option. Again, it will be a precise match in shape and colour to the corresponding tooth.
Enamel Removal
A small amount of dental enamel is removed when a tooth is prepared to receive a veneer or crown. This can smoothen the surface to the tooth to create a stable surface for the bonding agent when the veneer or crown is attached. It also reduces the size of the tooth to accommodate the size of the prosthetic device. But what about if enamel removal could be the end of the process?
Interproximal Reduction
When a difference between the sizes of corresponding teeth has been a natural development, enamel shaving can result in the necessary resizing. This process is known as interproximal reduction, and involves manually removing a minute amount of enamel from the larger tooth, with immediate results. The amount of enamel to be removed is precisely calculated so that an adequate amount of protective enamel remains.
There are numerous solutions available when your smile isn't quite symmetrical, but perhaps this is the only part of your appearance where you want exact mirror symmetry.
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