If Your Front Teeth Seem to Be Getting Longer, and the Upper Front Teeth Are Slowly Dropping, What Should You Suspect?

If your front teeth seem to be getting longer, and the upper front teeth are slowly dropping, you should suspect this.

Hello.

I’m the director of Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic.

"It wasn’t like this before,

but my front teeth seem to be getting longer and longer."

Of course, teeth don’t suddenly grow longer,

so why do front teeth start to feel longer?

Today, I’ll explain why front teeth appear to get longer

and what you need to know to prevent it.

1. Why do front teeth get longer? If your front teeth seem to be getting longer, and the upper front teeth are slowly dropping, you should suspect this.

In general, one reason teeth may look longer

is due to extrusion.

Extrusion may sound unfamiliar, right?

This is the phenomenon in which teeth fail to maintain their normal position,

with the upper teeth moving downward

and the lower teeth moving upward.

This is called dental extrusion.

The biggest cause of extrusion is the alveolar bone.

The alveolar bone plays the role of firmly holding our tooth roots in place.

However, due to periodontal disease or inflammation,

when the alveolar bone weakens,

it can no longer support the tooth roots.

In the end,

a tooth whose supporting force has weakened

cannot withstand the effects of gravity or chewing pressure

and gradually gets pushed downward.

In addition,

because the gums also recede by as much as the alveolar bone has lowered due to inflammation,

the tooth roots become more exposed,

which makes the teeth look longer.

2. A patient case of loose and lengthened front teeth,

resolved with implants If your front teeth seem to be getting longer, and the upper front teeth are slowly dropping, you should suspect this.

This was a case of a patient who visited our clinic recently.

One upper front tooth kept dropping, which made the patient unhappy with the appearance,

and more importantly, the tooth was very loose, so they came in.

After examining the mouth, the upper central incisor (#11)

was clearly positioned lower than the adjacent teeth.

As a result, the teeth gave an uneven appearance.

Not only was it aesthetically unappealing,

but the more fundamental issue was actually the gums.

The area around the gums was red and swollen,

and the inflammation was severe enough that pus appeared with just a light press...

Looking at the X-ray,

we could confirm that the alveolar bone was much lower than the adjacent teeth.

To look more closely,

we checked the CT scan.

The dark, radiolucent areas seen on the CT

are all inflammation,

and a significant portion of the alveolar bone that should support the tooth had already been lost.

In particular, as the alveolar bone on the palate side had been lost,

the "support structure" holding the tooth in place had disappeared entirely.

In the end, because the root was barely resting on the bone,

the tooth had no choice but to protrude forward

and sink downward without support.

With inflammation at this level, the teeth on both sides are also not safe...

As expected,

the adjacent teeth were also starting to become slightly loose.

ㅜㅜ

If your front teeth seem to be getting longer, and the upper front teeth are slowly dropping, you should suspect this.

However, the teeth on either side were in a relatively better bone condition than the center front tooth,

so it felt a bit regrettable to remove them as they were.

So we decided to preserve and use the teeth as much as possible

while also carrying out periodontal treatment together.

But because the central front tooth (#11), where the bone had melted all the way to the root tip,

could potentially cause the surrounding bone to continue dissolving if left in place,

we regrettably decided to proceed with extraction followed by an implant.

Treatment process

Front teeth are the most important area in determining our appearance.

Beyond simple chewing function,

aesthetics, which are the visible part, are vital.

Because of that, with front tooth implants,

we have to pay even more attention from the stage before placement.

No matter how well the prosthetic is made,

if the position and angle at the time of initial placement are wrong,

it can lead to an asymmetrical gum line or make the tooth look like it protrudes.

So we use CT scans and scan data

to make a careful diagnosis.

If your front teeth seem to be getting longer, and the upper front teeth are slowly dropping, you should suspect this.

By repeatedly simulating

how deep and at what angle to place it

so that it would be the strongest and most natural,

we were able to place the implant in the most suitable position for the patient.

Treatment result

After implant placement, we waited about two months for the bone and implant to become firmly united as one.

After that, we took impressions with a precision scanner

and completed the final prosthetic to harmonize with the surrounding teeth.

Ta-da! What do you think?

Compared with before,

don’t the teeth clearly look shorter?

We made it naturally so that it also matches the length of the adjacent teeth!

Thanks to consistent periodontal treatment, the teeth on both sides of the implant were also able to regain healthy gums.^^

If you feel as though your front teeth are gradually getting longer,

you should consider periodontal disease at least once.

That’s because untreated periodontitis can ultimately lead to the unfortunate result of losing all of your precious front teeth.

If your teeth are even slightly loose,

or if your gums have receded and your teeth look longer,

remember that now is the "last signal" that can save your precious teeth!

Before it gets any later, we will carefully check the condition of your teeth.

Thank you for reading this long post today.^^

▼Check the clinic location▼

If your front teeth seem to be getting longer, and the upper front teeth are slowly dropping, you should suspect this.

Go to make a reservation call
02-481-4278

| This post was written directly by Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic for the purpose of providing medical information in compliance with Article 56, Paragraph 1 of the Medical Advertising Act. The provided information is for reference only, and we recommend visiting a medical institution to understand symptoms and receive guidance from medical professionals on the correct management method. All procedures/surgeries performed at the dental clinic may involve risks depending on the individual (inflammation, bleeding, swelling, etc.). Please make a decision after sufficient consultation with medical staff in advance. The treatment cases in this post were photographed with the consent of patients who completed treatment at our clinic, and the before-and-after photos were taken under the same conditions. |