A 50s Orthodontic Treatment Review | Natural Anti-Aging with Partial Front-Tooth Orthodontics and No-Prep Veneers

Hello, this is Apgujeong Orthodontic Dental Clinic,

Gangnam Orthodontic Dental Clinic, Apgujeong Yeonse Baro Dental Clinic.

Today, I would like to introduce a patient in their 50s who underwent orthodontic treatment.

The patient completed partial orthodontic treatment for the front teeth, followed by no-prep veneers.

23.09~24.08

I will show you how the combination of partial orthodontic treatment for the front teeth and no-prep veneers can achieve the healthiest and most aesthetically complete treatment result.

The patient came in for orthodontic treatment because the two front teeth had descended and there was a gap between them.

23.09

Because the two front teeth had descended significantly, the patient had severe deep overbite.

When a deep overbite is present, the lower front teeth push the upper front teeth from behind toward the front every time the mouth closes. As a result, the space between the upper front teeth gradually widens, and the teeth become more protruded as they move forward.

23.09

The area indicated by the blue arrow is a peg lateral incisor.

On one side, composite resin had been placed as a temporary measure to close the space.

Because orthodontic treatment was planned, the resin used to close the space was removed, and a scan was taken to create the appliances.

23.09

The lower teeth were also crooked.

The original plan was to restore the size of only the peg lateral incisors with veneers after orthodontic treatment.

However, as in the previous post, the treatment plan changed midway, and the patient decided to receive no-prep veneers on all eight front teeth.

For aesthetic reasons, Invisalign Lite was recommended as the orthodontic treatment method.

24.01

This is what the patient looked like during treatment with the first set of aligners.

If you look closely, you can see that the appliances were not fully engaged with the peg lateral incisors on both sides.

There are three reasons why an appliance may not fit properly around the attachments:

• The appliance was not worn consistently.
• It was worn consistently, but was not seated fully and precisely.
• It was worn very well, but for various reasons, the force was not properly transmitted to the teeth.

There are several possible causes for the third reason.

These include short tooth height and a narrow mesiodistal width, as in the lower front teeth beneath the peg teeth.

The flatter and wider the tooth, the greater the area covered by Invisalign.

Rotation and extrusion are movements that can be difficult to achieve effectively with Invisalign. When a larger area of the tooth is covered, force is transmitted more effectively, making rotation and extrusion easier as well.

However, if the tooth is narrow and close to cylindrical, without a sufficiently flat surface, rotation and extrusion become difficult.

For this reason, rotation or vertical control is often difficult with peg-shaped lateral incisors or lower front teeth.

This is why the recommended appliance may differ depending on the shape of each person’s teeth, even when the malocclusion is similar.

The appliance also did not adequately control the patient’s peg lateral incisors.

This was addressed again with the additional aligners.

24.03

24.03

The alignment had improved by approximately 60%.

To achieve the remaining 40%, additional aligners were ordered in March 2024.

It takes one month from placing the order for the additional aligners to receiving them.

During this one-month period, the patient maintained the result by wearing the 14th and final aligner only while sleeping.

Treatment with the additional aligners began in April 2024. After wearing the 14 additional aligners allowed by Invisalign Lite over the following four months, orthodontic treatment was finally completed in August.

The descended front teeth had moved up into position, and the deep overbite had also improved significantly.

The attachments on the eight upper front teeth were removed first in preparation for the no-prep veneers.

23.09~24.03

The alignment was well established.

24.08

You can see the spaces on both sides of the peg lateral incisors.

The intended spaces were successfully created to restore the tooth size.

After waiting 10 days for the no-prep veneers to be fabricated, they were finally bonded to the eight upper front teeth.

Whitening the teeth immediately before bonding can minimize the underlying yellowish tooth color showing through.

This patient also underwent tooth whitening immediately before the no-prep veneers were bonded to create a lighter underlying shade.

24.08

The milky translucency looks very natural.

24.08

To meet the patient’s desire for a natural appearance, artificial-looking elements were minimized as much as possible in the tooth shapes.

Here is a comparison before orthodontic treatment and after completion of the no-prep veneer treatment.

23.09~24.08

23.09~24.08

23.09~24.08

Just as wrinkles increase on the face, the effects of age also become visible in our teeth.

The gums may gradually recede, while the teeth develop more fine cracks, wear, and chips.

Their color also becomes somewhat darker.

Just as the skin may benefit from lifting, teeth may also require anti-aging care such as veneers. However, there is no need to undergo this type of anti-aging treatment if it means damaging the health of the teeth by grinding them down.

Even though these are no-prep veneers, the teeth do not look or feel thicker than they did originally.

Orthodontic treatment and no-prep veneers are not competing treatments; they are treatments that complement each other’s strengths.

Orthodontic treatment corrects the position and bite of the teeth, while no-prep veneers naturally complete their size and shape. Together, they can provide results that satisfy both functional and aesthetic needs.

If you are concerned about gaps between the front teeth, peg teeth, or signs of dental aging after your 50s, please consult with a treatment plan that considers orthodontic treatment and no-prep veneers together rather than grinding down the teeth first.

Thank you for reading this long post today.