Why do dentists so often make veneers (and to a lesser extent crowns) too long?

Do they not realize that shorter teeth usually look better and younger? There must be a reason...

Why do dentists so often make veneers (and to a lesser extent crowns) too long?
For one, no, shorter teeth do not look younger, quite the opposite. If you don't believe me, google "dental face lift" and you'll see what I mean.





A second consideration is, how much your mouth opens up when you smile. Your upper teeth are supposed to occupy more than half of what your mouth shows, and their line is supposed to go along with your lower lip's (not your upper one).





Another consideration is, the structure of your face. If your face is long (ie the distance between your cheekbones and your chin), then you need longer teeth. You might not like them, but they look better (ie: more harmonious and proportionate to your face).





I agree with you that having longer teeth all of a sudden is traumatic for self-image, you're just not used at looking at your face looking like that.





But if you have the chance of wearing your temporaries for more than 2 weeks, after a while you get used to longer teeth and you realized that you need them long enough to fit your smile.





That's what happened to me anyway. I love my long teeth, and everybody loves them as well.
Reply:Beauty is subjective and if you like shorter teeth then there is nothing wrong with that HOWEVER, the general consensus is that shorter teeth makes a person look older. Why is that? If you look at the pictures of teeth of a person when they were 10 years old and then compare it with the teeth of that same person when they were 40 then 70 years old you will notice that the teeth get shorter as they get older. This is because the normal wear and tear from chewing causes the teeth to wear away with time. If you don't believe me, look at any 8 year old child's two front permanent teeth and you will see three little bumps on the incisal edge called mamelons. These mamelons are not seen in adults because they have been worn away.


Also people who have a clenching habit or grind their teeth a lot will eventually wear away half the length of their teeth if not more.


When you make a veneer short it may imply to others that you are an older person who may have a grinding habit which is not what you want to project since the point of getting veneers is to look younger and project a healthy smile.





As always consult your general dentist for further evaluation.


Frank Liu DDS, FAGD


www.mylongislanddentist.com

www.boots.com