Small Teeth?

There are several ways in which small appearing teeth can be corrected, sometimes with the help of orthodontic treatment:

Short teeth

Short, square teeth may benefit from a surgery done by a periodontist (a gum specialist). A periodontist can perform a gingivectomy, in which excessive and usually puffy gum tissue is removed to reveal more of the height of your teeth. Gingivectomies are sometimes done right after the conclusion of orthodontic treatment in patients whose poor oral hygiene resulted in inflamed, swollen gums. Alternatively, a periodontist may determine that the cause of the appearance of short teeth is due to excessive bone, and therefore also gums, covering the teeth. If so, “crown lengthening” can be done to remove the excess bone and to place the gums in a higher position, revealing more of your teeth.

Short, square front teeth could also be due to excessive wear from years of teeth grinding or from having a bite problem that results in rapid enamel wear. If wear has been caused by a bite problem, it’s best to correct the cause of the wear by getting braces and to restore the length of the worn teeth with a dentist.

Narrow teeth

It’s most common to have one or two teeth that are significantly more narrow than its neighbors; typically the upper lateral incisors. When these teeth are narrow, pointy, and cone shaped, they’re referred to as “peg laterals”. Because of their reduced size, the adjacent teeth may have become shifted and/or spaced. An orthodontist properly distributes the front teeth and if indicated creates space for the peg lateral to be restored by a dentist to an improved size and shape.

Small teeth throughout the mouth

The only way to increase the size of your front teeth would be to receive crowns by a prosthodontist, a specialist in esthetic dentistry (including crowns, bridges, and dentures). Crowns require significant tooth structure to be removed, so this is not encouraged! An orthodontist would have to space all of the desired teeth in order to facilitate the work of the prosthodontist. Even with doing this, there are limitations, as it is important to keep within a range of normal size proportion of upper to lower teeth in order for the bite to be beautiful, functional, and healthy.