Many dental patients complain of the dark triangles of space between their front teeth. They are unattractive and they make the mouth look old. What patients are seeing is a blunting of the inter-dental papilla, that pink gum tissue that usually fills the spaces between teeth.
The bad news is that this condition tends to progress over time, making the spaces more noticeable. As the papilla shrink, it often affects the underlying bone as well. The good news is that patients can reverse the process and create conditions that will allow the gum tissue to completely fill in the spaces.
Get the Tooth Contours Right
While there can be several underlying issues that can cause the dark triangle between teeth, including recession, gun disease and misshaped teeth or restorations, sometimes a simple solution is possible. A basic dental principle is that, if the contact point between two teeth is too far from the underlying bone, the papilla or gum tissue will recede. If indeed the contact position is the problem, it can be resolved in a couple of ways.
The simplest and least invasive way is to slightly re-contour the sides of the tooth and then squeeze the teeth together using Invisalign trays for a few weeks.
An alternative option is to re-shape the teeth by placing veneers to lower the contact point between the teeth. This approach allows the dentist to also make changes to the length and color of the teeth and to correct any defects such as chips on the biting edge of the teeth. Both approaches can be very effective in eliminating those dark triangles of space.
To learn if this treatment is right for you, please contact our dental team today to request an appointment.
