Changing Teeth Without Braces – Peg Laterals & the Diastema (Curious?) – A Case Study

However, there is more to this case than meets the eye. The narrow teeth have allowed the central teeth to move apart to cause a space, or a diastema, in the midline. This has led to speech and swallowing problems as the tongue can play with the teeth shape and spaces. The tongue can also tilt the smaller tooth as it has a smaller toot than normal so they tend to tilt.

Yes, the lower lip has been skewered by the sharp right peg lateral incisor. That won’t help the speech and swallowing.

The diastema also allows irritants in food to lodge betwwn the teeth to irritated the bump of gum called a papilla. The nerve that supplies feeling to the gum on the back of the front teeth, comes out through the bone within the incisive papilla. It can hurt if irritaed!

Orthodontics may straighten teeth but not the shape of the teeth themselves. Also there is too much space between the peg laterals and the adjacent teeth.

So we built up the teeth with tooth coloured adhesive filling material directly on the tooth. This is a non invasive treatment. The matereial can be added tooth or reshaped at any time and set straight away. More permanent procedures can be done, but they are more invasive and not flexible.

The right central incisor was built up one side only as it was leaning away from the midline. This allowed the build up to match the straighter left central incisor.

All done in on visit with no sensitivity and “photoitis” cured. Also, the lip healed and speech and swallowing improved greatly.

Happy patient!