Two front teeth were knocked out and rebuilt can I have veneers at 14

Q. Hi, my 14 year old son had his two front teeth knocked out a couple of years ago. Our dentist rebuilt them, but unfortunatley they are no longer perfectly straight. He then broke one of them off again and has it rebuilt. this time the tooth has been rebuilt slightly smaller, apparently to avoid the same thing happening again. He has been told that he will have to wait until his gums have finished growing and then can have some veneers fitted, perhaps when he is about 18. My son is extremely upset with the look of his teeth as his original teeth were quite nice. Is it possible to have cosmetic surgery carried out on his teeth at this age, or is my dentist correct in what he has told us? could the way the teeth have been rebuilt have been done any better and is it just bad dentistry? many thanks,

A. Sorry to hear about your sons problems. It’s always very upsetting for those concerned, including the dental team.

It sounds as though your son is having good treatment. Although the bondings on the teeth lasted a number of years they have now started to fail. They can be built up into the aesthetically correct shape but it may now be the case that the lower teeth are in such a position that they will knock off the bondings if they are put in such a position. By leaving the fillings clear of the bite your dentist is giving them the best chance of survival until veneers can be made.

The other point of view would be that the fillings need to be built into the correct position to stop the lower teeth moving , which may cause problems in the future when veneers are made.

Without seeing your son it is difficult to say which of the above is the correct treatment. If you have concerns the best course of action is to discuss these issues with your dentist. I am sure that they have your sons best interests at heart but obviously some reassurance seams to be necessary.

Regards,

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This entry was posted on Sunday, March 9th, 2008 at 12:24 pmand is filed under Dr Caplan's Answers, Experts Answers, Q. Broken teeth, Q. Dental Veneers.