Simulation of Front Tooth Partial Orthodontic Treatment for Canine Teeth, Black Triangle, Malocclusion, and Wear: 5-Month Treatment Period

Hello, this is Apgujeong Orthodontic Clinic.

If your front teeth stay crooked for a long time, the ends of the front teeth can wear down at an angle to match the misaligned shape.

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Orthodontic treatment is not just about improving appearance. It also helps prevent the front teeth from colliding due to malocclusion and wearing down or chipping. In addition, brushing is usually easier, making oral care simpler.

Today, I’ll talk about front tooth partial orthodontic treatment.

This patient came in for an orthodontic consultation in February 2025.

They came in wondering whether the issue could be resolved with partial orthodontic treatment of the front teeth, if possible.

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The front teeth are tilted, and the midline does not match.

The molar bite is in good condition.

The molar alignment was also good, so partial orthodontic treatment for the front teeth was recommended.

In partial orthodontic treatment for the front teeth, the molars are not moved, so the space needed to align the crooked teeth must be created in the front tooth area.

That is why interproximal reduction is an essential process.

Interproximal reduction is the process of shaving down the convex side contours of the teeth to make them slightly flatter, limited to the enamel layer, creating a small amount of space.

It is needed not only to gain a small amount of space for aligning the front teeth, but also to reduce the size of black triangles.

Many people wonder whether it causes sensitivity or weakness, but that does not happen to that extent.

These days, during orthodontic diagnosis consultations, the iTero intraoral scanner can be used to preview a simulation of the result after orthodontic treatment.

Not only the aligned teeth,

but also where and how large the black triangles will be are predicted and shown in advance.

In this case especially, the protruding front teeth had an area worn down diagonally at an angle, so we used the simulation to show the patient beforehand.

Otherwise, as the teeth become aligned, the worn area may become visible, and the patient may misunderstand it as the tooth having chipped or tilted during orthodontic treatment.

The top image is before treatment, and the bottom image is the expected simulation after treatment.

The diagonally worn area indicated by the blue arrow is not noticeable before orthodontic treatment, but once the alignment is complete, it becomes much more visible.

In cases like this, rather than restoring the worn area with resin, it is better to slightly flatten the edge so that it is less noticeable.

We started treatment by attaching MTA partial orthodontic appliances from the first premolar to the first premolar, eight each on the upper and lower arches.

This is what it looked like four months after starting treatment.

The alignment was almost complete.

Treatment was completed in June 2025, after just five months.

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The shape of the problematic front tooth edge was slightly refined so that the worn area would be less noticeable.

The originally good bite was well maintained.

This is the view with the retainer in place.

Now let’s look at the before-and-after comparison.

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Among the lower front teeth, the tooth that was tucked inward showed a clear difference in hygiene before and after orthodontic treatment.

Plaque and tartar easily build up in crooked areas of teeth, and because they are hard to reach with regular brushing, they are not easy to clean properly.

After orthodontic treatment, the alignment became neat, and the area that had been especially difficult to clean became clean with just ordinary brushing.

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Now let’s compare the facial appearance.

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It gives a cleaner impression.

There is no root resorption, and root parallelism is good.

Depending on the case, front tooth partial orthodontic treatment can produce excellent results in a relatively short period.

Orthodontic treatment is not simply a treatment for making teeth look prettier.

Please remember that it also makes oral hygiene much easier and helps protect teeth from unnecessary chipping and wear caused by malocclusion, allowing you to maintain healthy teeth for a long time.

I hope this post helps those who are hesitating about orthodontic treatment because they are worried it will take too long. Please consult a nearby orthodontic specialist first.