Dental Care and Special Needs: Planning for Success

Posted on: 15 January 2021

When posing for a photo, have you ever been asked to give the camera a big smile? Perhaps you've thought to yourself that a big smile is the only smile you can really give. Macrodontia is a form of gigantism that affects your teeth. All of your teeth might be excessively large, although it's more likely to be several teeth or even just the one. While your smile might be big (and your teeth might be perfectly healthy), the look of your smile can be uneven. For some people affected by macrodontia, the condition can even be quite uncomfortable. So what can be done about your macrodontia?

Dental Contouring

Macrodontia is typically treated using cosmetic dentistry or orthodontics, or a combination of the two. When the size of your teeth is largely a cosmetic issue, it's quite straightforward for a dentist to reduce them in size, utilizing a method known as dental contouring. This involves having fragments of the tooth shaved off to reduce its overall size. This is a suitable method for a single tooth or isolated teeth that require attention. The primary concern is balancing the necessary amount of tooth to be removed with the amount of tooth that needs to stay intact. 

A Uniform Smile

This dental contouring allows for the reshaping of teeth, giving your smile the uniformity you've been seeking. This can only be done with healthy teeth since the impact of resizing can make already unhealthy teeth more susceptible to sensitivity, and even decay. It's still possible for problematic teeth to be resized, although since the tooth cannot then be left as is, it might need to be finished with a dental crown to secure it. Cosmetic dentistry will correct macrodontia for the majority of people affected by the condition, although more extreme cases will require more intensive intervention.

Dental Repositioning 

Minor cases of macrodontia can be corrected with dental braces (to reposition the teeth without adjusting their size), but orthodontic treatment is also appropriate for extreme cases, where the size of the teeth has created overcrowding, which can result in discomfort. For some people, strategic tooth removal might be required, with braces then applied to reposition the teeth in order to compensate for the gap. This won't affect the look of your smile once your treatment has been completed. Some people might require dental contouring followed by orthodontic treatment.

A big smile can be a beautiful smile, but when someone is affected by macrodontia, it's possible for your smile to be too big to be comfortable.

For more information, contact a cosmetic dentistry clinic in your area.