Should I go to a dentist or orthodontist to close my tooth gap?

Q.
Hello

I have been considering getting invisalign for a while now and have decided to finally go for it. Briefly, my history is that i have a natural gap between my two front teeth as well as quite widely spaced lower teetth. The gap between the front teeth was covered up by veneers done by my dentist, who was not a cosmetic specialist. A few years later i’m not 100% happy with my teeth particularly the size of the veneers as well as the gaps and protrusion. I’ve been to see an orthodontist as well as an invisalign specialist / cosmetic dentist. Orthodontist thinks fixed braces are best and the specialist says invisalign will solve the issue. I am torn between going with the orthodontist or dentist. Invisalign is my preference, and my question is whether orthodontic experience should be a pre-requisite in the person i choose.
Thanks

A.
Hi and thanks for your excellent questions.

I think it’s extremely important, if you wish to have the very best result possible, that you go with experience and level of training and qualification. Your particular case would require, what we term, ‘multidisciplinary’ experience. In other words, experience in not only the orthodontics but also the experience with veneers and this type of ‘restorative’ cosmetic dentistry

Specialist orthodontists will have the highest level of qualification, but will not necessarily have a lot of experience with Invisalign and they certainly will know very little about veneers. Likewise some dentists who practice a lot of Invisalign do so without a lot of actual training in orthodontics and they might only treat very simple cases with Invisalign, or cut corners with it. They might also not have the cosmetic dentistry experience to consider what is best to do about your veneers .

Your best bet is therefore to go with an experienced cosmetic dentist who has a lot of additional training in orthodontics and a lot of experience using Invisalign – ideally over 250 cases. In addition I would choose a dentist who has their own specialist orthodontist in house, who you can be referred to if your orthodontics is tricky or complicated. In my own practice we have 3 ‘in-house’ specialist orthodontists and 3 dentists, including myself who have carried out in excess of 2000 cases combined.

or

Choose a specialist orthodontist who has a lot of experience with Invisalign and who has a close relationship with a very good cosmetic dentist who he can refer you to to give some feedback and opinion on the veneers you had done.

I hope that helps and doesn’t confuse you. I’d be delighted to assist you myself personally, if London is close to you, as this is one of my favourite things to deal with

Kind regards

Mark

Dr Mark Hughes Harley Street Dental Studio 52 Harley Street, London W1G 9PY Web: www.harleystreetdentalstudio.com Tel: 020 7636 5981 View My Profile Dr Hughes
September 25th, 2011 at 08:47 PM
Shareen Says :

Hi

I’m 17 years old & I have a problem with my 4 front teeth ( my 2 front ones at the top and the two front ones at the bottom). The top ones twist slightly inwards and i therefore have a gap and my bottom ones twist slightly inwards too therefor leaving me with a gap there to. I also have two remaining baby teeth but my dentist says that they shouldnt be a problem as they are not ready to come out, however, the adult tooth has come out right next to it.

My dentist says i do not need braces and that my teeth are perfectly fine but cosmetically i do so i dont kno if i am eligiable to get them free on the NHS. I was wondering how much would they cost for me to put them on because I am currently persuing a career as a flight attendant and i dont want to be the only flight attendant with crooked teeth. I am also wondering what type of treatment would benefit me the most in the shortest space of time bearing in mind the price. I also am wondering how long would i be looking to keep them on for?

Thanks

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