"Armchair" diagnosis and cosmetic dentistry treatment plan.

• History: When looking at this picture a dentist would surmise that this person has a bruxing habit. The term "bruxing" means that the person undergoes periods where they clench and grind their teeth. As a result of this bruxing activity this person's center four front teeth have worn down to the point where they are even with each other.
       Usually a person's center two teeth (their central incisors) are slightly longer in length than the teeth adjacent to them (the lateral incisors). The teeth next to the lateral incisors (referred to as: eyeteeth, canines, or cuspids) are usually somewhat similar in length to the central incisors. When upper teeth have worn to a point where their biting edges are even a person's smile loses some of its "youthfulness."
  
  
• Cosmetic dentistry treatment plan: The contours of the center four teeth might be restored with either dental bonding, porcelain veneers, or else dental crowns. The dentist providing this treatment would need to determine which of these dental restorations might reasonably be expected to withstand those forces generated by the patient's bruxing habits. The likely choice is dental crowns. ( What is the difference between porcelain veneers and dental crowns? )