What Treatment Should Come Before No-Prep Veneers for Missing Front Teeth and Gaps?

Hello.

This is Apgujeong Yonsei Baro Dental Clinic.

Many people think that Apgujeong Yonsei Baro Dental Clinic only provides Invisalign treatment, but that is not the case.

We provide all types of orthodontic treatment.

Today, we would like to share a case involving Clippy-C orthodontic treatment.

We will show how gaps caused by missing front teeth were treated through orthodontics and no-prep Gelami veneers.

2022.12

This patient first visited us in December 2022.

The patient came to us wanting to close the gap between the front teeth with no-prep veneers.

The reason for the gaps was the congenital absence of both lateral incisors.

The blue arrows indicate the canines.

There were two fewer front teeth than usual.

2022.12

The dark areas on the tooth surfaces are small depressions caused by enamel hypoplasia.

Although they look dark, they are not active cavities, so treatment is not necessarily required.

The blue arrows indicate areas of crossbite, where the upper and lower teeth bite in the opposite direction.

No-prep veneers are not possible while a crossbite remains.

2022.12

Because the enamel was weak due to enamel hypoplasia, many areas of previous treatment were also visible on the molars.

The dark areas in the photo are traces of amalgam fillings used to treat cavities.

Amalgam is not used as often these days, but it is a better material than it may appear and often remains strong and durable for a long time.

Let us suppose that we filled the gaps between the front teeth with no-prep veneers.

The front teeth would become extremely wide from side to side, making them look flatter and larger.

We also explained that, because a crossbite was present, orthodontic treatment would need to come first even if the patient later received no-prep veneers.

The goal of the orthodontic treatment was to move the canines, which had already moved significantly toward the positions of the front teeth, further toward the center so that they could replace the missing front teeth.

When canines are brought into the positions of the front teeth, there are two ways to make them look like front teeth.

Depending on the shape of the canines, their tips can simply be reshaped to make them flatter.

However, in this case, the canine tips were thin and the teeth were small, so we decided to restore the shape of the front teeth with no-prep veneers.

There was another factor to consider.

At the initial examination, the patient's facial profile was attractive without protrusion, and the lips were thin. Therefore, the front teeth should not be moved backward.

To close the gaps while maintaining the position of the front teeth, the molars needed to be pulled forward.

Although this would take longer than simply closing the spaces while allowing the front teeth to move backward, the result would be better.

23.05

To achieve this, we placed miniscrews toward the front and used them to pull the molars forward.

The key was to move the teeth forward with their roots parallel, without allowing them to tip.

24.03

Once most of the space had been closed, the canines that would receive no-prep veneers needed to be adjusted in height and raised slightly. This made treatment possible without removing any tooth structure.

We continued orthodontic treatment a little longer to improve the dental midline.

24.10

Finally, the orthodontic treatment was completed in October 2024.

Now it was time for no-prep Gelami veneers—to reshape the canines into front teeth.

24.10

Two veneers were placed on the canines.

They look just like perfect front teeth, don't they?

After attaching the wire retainer, we also removed all of the Clippy-C appliances from the lower teeth.

Because the enamel was weak, we proceeded very carefully when removing the appliances and when carefully grinding away the adhesive.

24.10

The canines were brought into the positions of the front teeth, and their front-tooth shape was restored with Gelami veneers. The tooth indicated by the blue arrow in the canine position is the first premolar.

From the outside, premolars have a shape similar to canines, so they are often used to replace canines when front teeth are missing.

Now, let us look at the results before and after treatment.

The treatment took 1 year and 10 months.

22.12~24.10

22.12~24.10

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The facial profile was maintained well.

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A clean smile.

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The molars were moved well with their roots parallel, resulting in good root parallelism as well.

The fact that the front teeth are gapped does not automatically mean that filling the spaces with veneers is the right answer.

It is important to first make an accurate diagnosis of why the teeth are gapped, whether the number of teeth is normal, and whether there are any bite problems.

Especially when front teeth are congenitally missing, rearranging the tooth positions through orthodontic treatment and then creating a natural shape with no-prep veneers can produce a much better result than simply closing the spaces.

Apgujeong Yonsei Baro Dental Clinic does not view orthodontics and cosmetic treatment as completely separate. We pursue treatment that considers both function and appearance, preserves as much of the natural tooth structure as possible, and creates a natural and stable result.

If you are considering treatment for missing front teeth, gapped teeth, undersized teeth, or no-prep veneers, we recommend receiving a treatment plan that addresses the cause rather than simply closing the spaces.

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