Dr. Lindsey Marshall is a premier cosmetic and restorative dentist on the Main Line of Philadelphia. She is annually voted a “top doc” amongst local media and industry peers. A cum laude graduate of The Harvard School of Dental Medicine, she has continued to strive for excellence through post-graduate education at the prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, Aesthetic Advantage. As the area leader in advanced aesthetic dentistry, Dr. Marshall offers the most superior expertise and technology in her field in her Ardmore-based office. The combination of Dr. Lindsey Marshall’s progressive training in cosmetic and physiologic dentistry enables her to consistently exceed patient expectations and earns her a superior reputation amongst the highest caliber of dentists worldwide.

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A very common aesthetic issue that Haute Beauty expert Dr. Lindsey Marshall treats as a cosmetic dentist is the lateral incisors. These are the smaller teeth on either side of the two front teeth. Oftentimes, you would not realize that these teeth can be small or missing, and if they are, it is completely genetic. As a matter of fact, upwards of 2-10% of the population can be affected by this, so it is a very common concern and one that needs to be treated appropriately. Here Haute Beauty expert Dr. Marshall shares with Haute Beauty why you must cosult with a cosmetic dentist when you have small or missing lateral incisors especially when undergoing orthodontists.

What does the treatment path include?

The treatment for small or missing lateral incisors starts early because we need to preserve the space to be able to create teeth that fit the architecture of the smile. We don’t want them to be too skinny or too wide and set off the balance of the smile. What this means is when children are young and start their orthodontic journey, they should also consult a cosmetic dentist to guide the orthodontist on the space requirements, whether we are trying to do a prepless veneer on a small lateral or plan for an implant to be placed for a missing lateral.

Everyone on the team, including the dentist, the orthodontist, and the parents, need to realize that differences in a child’s smile can be a great source of embarrassment for children and teens and can make them very self-conscious, leading to low self-esteem and overall affect their success in life. So being under the care of an aesthetic dentist from a younger age helps to ensure they never have spaces in their smile, they don’t have mismatched color teeth, and they don’t stop smiling because of these things.

 

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What happens when you leave the incisors untreated?

If a cosmetic dentist is not on board early, the orthodontist may not think you are concerned about the smaller or missing teeth and may close the spaces. This can lead to teeth looking tipped in, midlines being off in the smile compared to the face, so the teeth look crooked and can even contribute to airway issues like sleep apnea because the arch is made smaller when closing the spaces trapping the tongue more posteriorly and blocking the airway.

As these patients age, they find it hard to maintain the alignment of the teeth because it is not their natural placement, so they have a relapse, spaces open, and bone resorption can occur where the tooth is missing so if you try to open spaces back up there may not be enough bone to place an implant. If you see the teeth look different when they erupt, find yourself a great team that understands the process and can set your child up for a beautiful smile!

Now, if you are an adult who has had this issue and it is still an aesthetic concern for you, seek out a cosmetic dentist. There are so many ways we can fix these issues, either with orthodontics or without, to give you the smile of your dreams!