A cheerful and confident individual always has a pleasant smile on their face. When compared to green or discolored teeth, white teeth are frequently synonymous with a beautiful smile. Most people visit dentists who specialize in teeth whitening to have their teeth brightened.

Both primary (baby) teeth and secondary (permanent) teeth can develop green stains. Green teeth may not only impact a person’s smile but also indicate a medical issue.

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Amongst the numerous solutions available for teeth whitening, you will choose the procedure that is highly effective, smooth & time-efficient. Right?

You might aware of laser teeth whitening to revamp your teeth’ natural color efficiently and quickly. Nowadays, cosmetic dentists prescribe a sophisticated approach called “Zoom teeth whitening” for dental bleaching. It will be the perfect choice for people who have stubborn stains that cannot be breached with traditional whitening solutions.

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In our earlier blog post, we had discussed the possible causes of dark spots or discoloration in gums. Apart from the consequence of smoking and side effects of certain medications and illness, excess melanin pigment in the body darken your gums. Fortunately, you have a variety of solutions to get rid of such dark gums. They are termed gum de-pigmentation treatments.

Gum depigmentation, also known as gum bleaching or gum whitening is a cosmetic periodontic procedure that tends to remove the extra or unwanted pigmentation from gums.

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Microdontia is a medical term that refers to disproportionately small teeth. You might see some people have teeth bigger than the normal teeth size. Besides aesthetic issues, those abnormal-sized teeth stimulate problems in chewing, eating, and even talking. Likewise, few people have atypically small teeth that look smaller than normal. They are also known as “Small teeth” or “Short teeth” that mostly happen in one or two teeth. In rare cases, it happens in all teeth due to various factors.

In this post, our cosmetic dentists have discussed the possible causes of small teeth (microdontia) and solutions to address those short teeth.

What causes Small Teeth?

Identifying the root cause of small teeth is mandatory so that the dentists can customize a treatment plan as per the concern. In general, microdontia happens with genetically inherited disorders that affect teeth development. Meanwhile, it happens with the aftereffects of some medications and various environmental factors.

• Radiotherapy – Exposure to a heavy dose of radiation during the development of teeth (before age 6) will affect the development of teeth.
• Down Syndrome – Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder that happens with abnormal cell division that primarily affects the orofacial appearance. Flattened face, unusually shaped ears, short neck, protruded tongue, small teeth are the common side effects.
• Cleft lip – The obstruction in the development of facial muscles in an unborn baby leads to a cleft lip that looks like a split in the upper lip. Dental abnormalities like microdontia are common in those people with cleft lip.
• Ectodermal Dysplasias – Ectodermal dysplasias comprises a heterogeneous group of conditions that infect the ectodermal derived structures like hair, skin, nails, teeth, salivary glands, and mucous membranes. People suffering from this genetic disorder develop teeth larger or smaller than the usual size.
• Williams Syndrome – Williams Syndrome is a rare genetically inherited neurodevelopmental disorder that stimulates mild developmental challenges. The sufferers have strange facial features like wide mouth, widely spaced teeth, small upturned nose, etc.
• Rieger Syndrome – The genetic disorder affects the bones of the skull and face. It is generally identified with underdeveloped teeth.
• Hallermann-Sheriff Syndrome – Similar to Riger Syndrome, this genetically inherited condition intervenes in the development of the skull and facial bones. People suffering from this disorder have short head with an underdeveloped lower jaw. As this condition hinders dental development, the sufferers have neonatal teeth.

Besides these, various genetically inherited conditions like Pituitary Dwarfism, Oral-Facial-Digital Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, and much more tend to small teeth or teeth with a wide width.

On the other hand, short teeth happen with poor oral habits like teeth grinding, aggressive brushing also. Likewise, the chemical or acidic substances in foods you take lead to tooth erosion, followed by microdontia.

Small (or) Short Teeth Treatments

Dentists deliver you an array of aesthetic solutions to streamline the teeth structure. Generally, the microdontia treatments should begin from identifying the root cause (i.e) whether it happens with genetics or external factors.

Then consult your physician to address the hereditary disease. For instance, if the short teeth occur due to teeth grinding, we recommend wearing mouthguards to reduce the constant wear and tear of teeth before initiating the cosmetic solutions.

Here are the widely used smile makeover treatments to address small teeth:

• Porcelain Veneers – Thin coverings made up of porcelain or composite materials. The abnormal appearance of teeth is concealed when the appliance is fixed over the teeth surface.
• Dental Crowns – If you have one or two teeth with microdontia, then dental crowns are the best choice. The ceramic cap covers the abnormal tooth structure when it is mounted over the tooth surface.
• Composite fillings – It involves enlarging the teeth length by roughening the tooth surface and then adding composite resin materials.
• Gum Reshaping – In certain cases, our teeth are covered with excessive gums that reveal only a small proportion of teeth. Removing a tiny portion of gums will disclose more of the hidden teeth structure.

To know more about those small teeth and treatment options to address the cosmetic issue, contact our dental doctors.

Orthognathic surgery is also called as corrective jaw surgery. This surgery is done by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon to repair a broad range of minor and major skeletal and dental defects, including deformation of the jaws and teeth.

Surgery can enhance respiration, biting, and speech. Although the appearance of the patient may be significantly changed as a result of the procedure, Orthognathic surgery is done to correct functional issues.

For a variety of reasons, your jaw may be misaligned. Maybe you had an injury that wasn’t properly fixed. Things may just have grown that way. Any of the conditions below may suggest the need for corrective jaw surgery.

>Difficulty in biting food or chewing

>Headaches and TMJ pain

>Difficulty swallowing

>Too much wear of the teeth

>Facial injury

>Birth defects

>Sleep apnea

>Protruding jaw

>Inability to keep the lips together without straining

>Chronic mouth breathing

>Receding chin and lower jaw

>Open bite, overbite, and underbite

>Snoring

Treatment plan

For most cases, before surgery, an orthodontist puts braces on the teeth. Normally, the braces are on for 12 to 18 months before the treatment to level and align the teeth in preparation for treatment. To build your treatment plan, oral and maxillofacial surgeons and orthodontists work together.

X-rays, models, and pictures of your teeth are a portion of your jaw surgery preparation. Sometimes, the variation in how teeth fit together will need either the teeth to be reshaped, the teeth to be covered with crowns or both to complete correction.

Computer- treatment preparation, 3D- CT scanning, and temporary orthodontic anchoring tools can be used to aid in teeth mobility and to reduce the braces period. Such efforts also remove the need for jaw surgery entirely.

Virtual surgical planning (VSP) can also be used to direct the surgeon to match and correct the location of the jaw section for the most appropriate outcome during the operation.

Before the procedure

As said above, Orthognathic surgery is generally performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Surgery is normally performed under general anesthesia. Surgery is performed in the hospital, which includes a stay of two or four days.

During the procedure

Surgery will usually take place inside your mouth, and there are no facial marks on your jaw, chin, or around your mouth. However, tiny incisions can often be needed outside your mouth.

The surgeon makes cuts to the jawbones and positions them in the correct place. Upon completion of the jaw movement, cables, screws, rubber bands, and tiny bone plates may be used to lock the bones into their new location.

For certain cases, the jaw can be reinforced with extra bone. The bone is transferred from your rib, hip or leg by your surgeon and sealed with screws and plates.

After the procedure

Your doctor will be giving you instructions after the surgery. Usually, they include:

>Foods to be eaten

>Oral hygiene habits

>Stopping strenuous tasks

>Avoiding Smoking habits

>Medicines to manage pain

>When to go back to school or work, usually in one to three weeks

Result

Initial jaw healing usually takes around 6 weeks after the operation but it can take up to 12 weeks for full healing.

>Correcting your teeth and jaws with a jaw surgery will result in:

>Balanced look in your lower face

>Improved Teeth Function

>Health benefits such as enhanced sleep, respiration, swallowing and chewing

>Improvement of speech disabilities

>Improved aesthetics

>Enhanced self-esteem

Changes in the colour of your teeth may be subtle and happen gradually. Some yellow colour may be inevitable. Teeth can look more yellow especially as you age. As the outer enamel wears away, the yellowy dentin underneath becomes more visible. Dentin is the calcified tissue beneath the enamel.

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