When to Consider Veneers for Crooked Teeth

One or two slightly slanted teeth, on the other hand, don’t usually require orthodontic care, especially if your bite is well-aligned. In fact, a simple cosmetic dental fix is often all it takes to straighten a few crooked teeth when the misalignments are minor.  

As a dentist who specializes in transforming smile flaws, Dr. Annie Aboulian and our team at Burbank Dental Studio can correct a slightly crooked tooth in no time flat. Often, veneers are our go-to solution for these minor to moderate tooth misalignments. 

A short tutorial on dental veneers 

Veneers were invented nearly a century ago by Dr. Charles Pincus, a cosmetic dentist who aimed to give Hollywood actors a fast and easy way to attain the perfect smile. 

Fast-forward to today, and advanced dental materials and techniques have made modern veneers more versatile, natural-looking, and durable than ever before. Veneers, which are similar to laminates, offer a single, comprehensive solution to many common cosmetic concerns.

These custom porcelain (ceramic) shells are designed to look just like natural teeth — only better. When they’re permanently bonded to the fronts of your teeth, you’ll no longer see:

• Cracked, chipped, or damaged teeth
• Large gaps between your front teeth
• Oddly shaped or unevenly sized teeth
• Discolored or deeply stained enamel
• Slightly crooked or misaligned teeth 

Instead, you’ll see a flawless smile that you can’t wait to share with the world. 

How veneers address crooked teeth

When a tooth is slightly askew, it tends to stick out a little on one side and/or angle back a little on the other side. This may cause it to crowd or somewhat overlap the adjacent tooth, making it hard to brush and floss the area thoroughly. 

When teeth are only slightly crooked, it’s often possible to shape the protruding side of each slanted tooth until it’s flush with its neighboring teeth, then protect it and give it a uniform appearance by covering it with a custom veneer. 

Getting veneers involves buffing away about half a millimeter of enamel to accommodate the veneer, then using dental cement to adhere the durable custom shells into place. Veneers can easily conceal moderately crooked teeth, hide unsightly gaps, and give you the appearance of perfectly straight teeth for a flawless smile.  

Other fixes for mildly crooked teeth

If you have just one very slightly crooked tooth, we may be able to correct its appearance quickly with tooth contouring and/or dental bonding. Or, if you have a moderately crooked tooth, a crown may be the best cosmetic solution.

Contouring and bonding

Tooth contouring carefully removes thin layers of enamel to correct a cosmetic misalignment, and bonding uses composite resin to improve its shape or appearance.

A slightly protruding tooth can often be corrected with contouring techniques, while a slightly recessed tooth can be “straightened” with dental bonding. When bonding builds up the recessed side of a tooth, it makes the front of the tooth look flush with its neighboring teeth. 

Many people opt to have a professional teeth whitening treatment before they undergo cosmetic bonding so they can match the composite resin to their whitest, brightest smile. 

Dental crown

When a moderate tooth misalignment is just a bit too extreme to be successfully corrected by contouring and bonding or covered by custom veneers, you may be able to conceal it with a dental crown instead. 

A dental crown, or cap, is an artificial tooth designed to fit over your natural tooth. It can be used to conceal a single cracked, chipped, weak, misshapen, or crooked tooth. 

To conceal a crooked tooth with a crown, your natural tooth is contoured to create space for the artificial tooth. After we shape your natural tooth, we “cap” it with a porcelain crown that’s made to fit your bite and sit perfectly straight alongside your natural teeth.

Choosing the best cosmetic solution

If you have multiple slightly crooked teeth — or numerous other aesthetic dental issues that you’d like to conceal all at once — veneers are an appealing, cost-effective, and long-lasting solution that can leave you with a picture-perfect smile. 

If, however, you have just one or two slightly slanted teeth, contouring and/or bonding may be the most direct approach to a more aligned smile. And if your one wonky tooth is a little too crooked to be concealed by veneers or contouring and bonding, a crown may help you get the results you’re after.

Are you ready to address those minor imperfections that are keeping you from having a flawless smile? Dr. Annie and our team can help. Give us a call today, or click online to request an appointment at Burbank Dental Studio in Burbank, California, at your convenience.