Traditional veneers are a popular cosmetic dental treatment, masking irregularities and delivering a confidence boost. While they can do a lot, they also have notable limitations. If your tooth spacing bothers you, you might wonder: can veneers fix my gapped teeth?
We’d love to offer you a simple yes or no, but the answer isn’t that simple. Let’s dig into the details about what veneers can do for tooth gaps and if they’re the right choice for you.
Table of Contents
What Are Veneers?
Traditional veneers are wafer-thin shells custom-made for individual teeth. They cover the visible surfaces of the teeth, hiding imperfections and strengthening each one. It typically takes 2–3 office visits to plan, prep, and place veneers, including shaving down the enamel for an accurate fit.
A cosmetic treatment, veneers create the facade of a perfect smile. They mimic the enamel, so they are difficult, if not impossible, to detect. Just remember that if the parts of your smile bothering you also impact your oral health, you’ll need a more robust solution.
There are three main types of traditional veneers: porcelain, ceramic, and composite.
- Porcelain Veneers: These are the strongest veneers available, lasting as long as 20 years before you need to replace them. They are also the most expensive, costing as much as $2,500 per tooth.
- Ceramic Veneers: Slightly weaker than porcelain, they require less tooth prep, allowing you to keep more of your enamel. They are also slightly more affordable, saving you a few hundred dollars per tooth.
- Composite Veneers: Made from resin and other materials, these are the weakest and most affordable veneers. They don’t look quite as natural as ceramic and porcelain veneers and have the shortest lifespan, but require the least prep.
Can Veneers Fix Tooth Gaps?
Veneers can do a lot — but can they close the gap between your teeth? To give an accurate answer, we need to get into the details.
Fixing vs. Hiding
It’s easy to use the terms fixing and hiding interchangeably when talking about cosmetic dental treatments, but they’re two very different things. When you fix an issue, you functionally address the problem. With tooth gaps, this means realigning the teeth, bringing them closer together. Veneers can’t do this.
Hiding just means keeping the problem out of sight — and this is exactly what veneers do. They cover your natural teeth, presenting a perfectly straight, white smile. It’s a great solution if you want an instant smile transformation. The problem with doing this for gapped teeth — and other alignment issues — is that misaligned teeth can compromise your oral health. Covering the teeth doesn’t change that.
Limitations of Veneers for Fixing Tooth Gaps
Because veneers camouflage tooth gaps rather than correcting them, they can only address mild cases. The larger the gap, the less likely that veneers can help. At most, they can bridge a 4mm gap or less, but that’s only if you have two veneers; a single veneer cannot safely close such a large gap because they’re too thin (0.5mm on average) and might break more easily.
Who Can Get Veneers for a Tooth Gap?
An ideal candidate for using veneers to hide crooked teeth should:
- Be willing to replace their veneers periodically for the rest of their life.
- Have a realistic expectation for how much space veneers can cover.
- Want to hide a gap of 4mm or less.
- Not have severe rotations or other misalignments.
- Be in overall good health, without tooth decay or gum disease.
Best Alternatives to Veneers
If your gap is larger than 4mm or you have other misalignments, traditional veneers aren’t the best option. Luckily, there are alternatives that can either hide your gap or alter your alignment. Below are three we consider the best.
Snap-On Veneers
Just like traditional veneers, snap-on veneers mask issues instead of correcting them. However, they can cover most or all of your teeth, hiding more issues than just gaps. They are more delicate and you need to replace them much more often — even once per year — but their lower prices and comprehensive coverage make them preferable for some people.
Learn more in our comprehensive comparison of the best snap-on veneer brands.
Clear Aligners
Most people find it best to correct alignment issues, not mask them, because improper alignment can cause everything from uneven dental wear to jaw joint damage. Clear aligners are a series of plastic trays designed to make incremental dental shifts, gradually correcting your gaps. You can either get them from your dentist or have a remote company deliver them to your home.
In-office aligners like Invisalign cost more, but they involve hands-on care and can address more severe misalignments. At-home aligners don’t require any trips to the dentist and cost a lot less, but can typically only correct mild-to-moderate cases in the front six teeth.
Compare your options in our review of the best clear aligners.
Braces
Braces have been around longer than any other orthodontic treatment, and that’s because they work. They’re incredibly powerful, using metal brackets and wires to correct just about any dental misalignment or bite issue you throw at them.
Some people might not like how they look, and most braces are much more noticeable than clear aligners, but clear or lingual braces offer more discreet alternatives. Like in-office clear aligners, they require regular office visits — and they can be pricey — but they’re a widely accessible, surefire way to correct teeth gaps.
Read our in-depth guide to decide if braces are the right choice for you.
Final Thoughts
Correcting tooth gaps isn’t always medically necessary, so if you want to roll with them, go for it. But if they bother you, veneers could be a great way to hide them. Just remember that they don’t correct underlying conditions, so if you want to physically close your gaps, clear aligners might be a better option. Either way, you’ll be flashing your beautiful smile with confidence soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do veneers require enamel prep?
Veneers should be indistinguishable from your natural teeth, so they can’t look bulky. Shaving down the enamel ensures the veneers sit flush with the teeth on either side.
What are the risks of getting veneers?
The biggest risk is getting them and then deciding you don’t like them. Since the dentist shaves down your enamel, once you have traditional veneers, you need to wear them for life.
How often do veneers need to be replaced?
It depends on the material (as well as the quality of placement and your oral health and habits). Porcelain veneers can last as long as 20 years, but composite ones usually won’t last more than seven.
Are veneers expensive?
They are on the pricier end of cosmetic dental treatments, but some types are more expensive than others. Composite veneers are the cheapest, at $200–$1,500 per tooth. Porcelain is the priciest at $925–$2,500 per tooth.
What’s the best treatment for misaligned teeth?
Traditional metal braces still hold the crown because they can treat the widest range of severe misalignments. Aligners aren’t far behind but they are more limited in rotating, raising, and lowering teeth.
What’s the most budget-friendly option for fixing gapped teeth?
If the goal is to fix a tooth gap, at-home aligners are the most affordable option. If you just want to cover your gap, snap-on veneers are likely the most budget-friendly solution (though it depends on the provider).
When are veneers not a good option?
Veneers aren’t a good choice for anyone with active tooth decay or gum disease. People with severe bite issues also won’t work since they are more likely to break the veneers when you’re eating.
What is the most convenient alternative to veneers?
Over the short-term, snap-on veneers are the most convenient, since you don’t need to use them daily and can leave them out when you don’t have time to clean them after meals. Over the long-term, aligners are more convenient since the only thing you have to do after treatment is wear retainers at night.
Can veneers stain?
Composite veneers can, but porcelain and ceramic veneers rarely develop internal stains. If you do not brush and floss properly, external stains might develop, but your dentist can easily remove them.
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