Getting Braces

Can Restorative Dentistry Treat the Dark Spaces Between My Teeth and Gums?

The appearance of your teeth is heavily impacted by the position of the surrounding gum tissue. In a normal situation, two teeth that are side by side in your mouth have contact with each other. Below this contact, the area is filled in with gum tissue in the shape of a triangle. This triangular-shaped gum tissue is called the papilla. It is not uncommon to have an empty space in the area where the papilla is supposed to be. If this occurs, the result is perceived as a black space.

What Causes the Black Spaces in My Gums and How Can Restorative Dentistry Help?

They are caused by a loss of the gum tissue itself or by the shape and/or position of the teeth. For any black space that is present, the first thing that needs to be done is to diagnose what caused it to occur. Once this is done, the restorative dentistry treatment choice can be made. The best decision will be the most conservative treatment that corrects the black space.

One of the most common causes of loss of gum tissue is due to the gum disease known as periodontitis. This gum disease acts on the supporting bone around the teeth, causing a loss of bone. This loss of bony support causes the papilla to slump and flatten, creating a black space between the teeth. The first step in treating the resulting black space in this situation is to treat the cause. Once the gum disease is under control, the black spaces can then be addressed with restorative dentistry.

To remove the black spaces, the teeth need to have restorations placed that will change the shape of the teeth and fill in this space. The type of restorative dentistry can vary depending on whether or not there are any other problems with the teeth. The simplest and most conservative restoration is composite, a tooth-colored filling material. It can be bonded directly on the tooth in the area of the black space. Since it is placed only in the affected area, the situation where this is used requires that the overall appearance of the tooth is acceptable and does not need to be changed.

If the overall appearance of the tooth needs to be altered, then a different type of restorative dentistry needs to be used. The choice is either a dental veneer or a dental crown. The choice between the two depends on both the appearance and the structural changes that need to be done. Usually, to correct a black space, both teeth on either side need to be restored. In doing this, the symmetry between the teeth will remain the same. If you restored just one tooth, you would end up with one tooth being wider than the other. The advantage of using restorative dentistry to correct black spaces is that it usually results in a shorter treatment time.

Another cause of the black space is due to the position of the teeth themselves. One example is teeth that are tilted towards each other. When this occurs, the area for your gum tissue to fill becomes too large for the amount of tissue you have. This same concept may occur with certain types of tooth shapes. In these instances, the restorative dentistry treatment of choice is to use orthodontics (braces) to align the teeth. The advantage of doing this is that the black space will disappear without having to do any restorations on the teeth.

By Greggory Kinzer, DDS, MSD

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Cosmetic Tooth Bonding Fixes Damaged Teeth

Cosmetic dentistry is everywhere these days.

With new materials, especially dental "superglues," we're reshaping teeth, filling gaps between teeth, restoring broken teeth, replacing missing teeth, placing lighter braces. The technique is called dental bonding, and the aesthetic result is wonderful.

But it's not forever.

The American Dental Association puts the life of tooth bonding materials at about five years. This may be a conservative estimate, but there will come a time when a bond needs attention.

In general, if you treat a bonded tooth like your other teeth, you'll keep your dental restoration intact longer. Lax home care habits or the wrong foods can hasten wear and tear.

So go easy. If your tooth restoration is brand new, or years old and still flawless, keep smiling. With care, we've seen dental bonding last a long, long time.

Here are some reminders to help lengthen the life of your dental restoration.

• Expect to come in more often just after your tooth restoration is placed. The edges of bonded restorations need a once-over after a few months to verify a smooth fit. And we'll check to make sure there is no gum irritation, too.
• Certain unforgiving foods can threaten any dental restoration. Watch nuts, hard candies, some fresh fruits - a bond could crack. We don't see it often, but with heavy-handed treatment, veneers can pop right off - not a real confidence-builder in a crowd.
• Nail-biting and ice-chewing are out.
• Use a non-abrasive toothpaste and a soft brush.
• Coffee, tea, colas, and cigarettes, of course, are not your restoration's best friends. They stain, among other unsavory things.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.