Short, worn teeth meeting almost edge to edge, rebuilt with new length and bite
Short, flat upper teeth with a small central gap, rebuilt to a longer, even smile with a new overlap.
- Dentist: Dr. Marina Antoniuk
- Worn teeth
- Consultation in: Russian, Ukrainian and English
At a glance
- Dentist
- Dr. Marina Antoniuk, Dentist · aesthetic & functional rehabilitation
- Case type
- Worn teeth
- Consultation in
- Russian, Ukrainian and English
- Clinic
- Creative Arts Dental & Aesthetics, 614 Jumeira St, Jumeirah 3, Dubai
Published with the patient’s consent. In the photo, the top half shows the teeth before treatment and the bottom half after. Every mouth is different: your own plan follows an examination.
Before: the situation
The upper front teeth look short, with flat, worn biting edges, and there is a small gap between the two central incisors near their edges. The upper and lower front teeth meet almost edge to edge, so the lower incisors look long in comparison. The teeth are a warm ivory-yellow, and several side teeth also show flattened edges.
What was wrong, and why it matters
Worn edges shorten the teeth, and short upper teeth show less when a person talks and smiles, which makes the smile look tired and older. As enamel wears through, the softer inner layer is exposed and wears faster, so the process tends to speed up rather than stop.
When upper and lower front teeth meet edge to edge, they lose the overlap that normally guides the jaw forward and sideways. The edges then grind directly against each other, the back teeth can lose protection during movement, and the jaw joints and chewing muscles may take extra strain. Simply adding length without checking the bite risks chipping the new edges.
The solution
The after photo shows upper front teeth with more length and rounded, even edges, the small gap between the central incisors closed, and the upper teeth now overlapping the lower ones. The visible upper and lower teeth share one lighter shade and smooth contours.
In a worn-teeth case, Dr. Marina treats length as a bite decision first and an aesthetic one second: the jaw joints, chewing muscles and tooth contacts are assessed before the new edge position is chosen, and the proposed length is checked in a mock-up. She attended Prof. Marcelo Calamita’s course “Esthetics & Integrating Occlusal Principles into Smile Design” in Dubai in February 2025, and that link between occlusion and smile design is the logic applied here.
How a case like this is planned and carried out
Examination, photographs and a full digital scan of both arches
Functional diagnostics of the TMJ, chewing muscles and bite, with axiography and condylography where indicated
Digital smile design and a mock-up to test the new tooth length in speech and smiling
Upper and lower treatment carried out in a planned sequence
Restorations made with the ceramist in the dental lab in the same building
Bite contacts and jaw movements reviewed after fitting
After: the result
The upper front teeth are now longer and even, with the central gap closed and a visible overlap over the lower teeth. Upper and lower teeth in the smile share one lighter, uniform shade.
In Dr. Marina Antoniuk’s words
Dr. Marina AntoniukWe assess the condition and function of the temporomandibular joints, masticatory muscles, and occlusal relationships.
Because these teeth met edge to edge, the new length could only be decided after checking how the joints, muscles and bite worked together.
Your smile, planned with a dentist — before you decide
Tell us what you would like to change. A dentist reviews it, and you receive a written plan with prices before any treatment.
- First consultation free
- Free photo assessment on WhatsApp
- A written, itemised plan with prices before any treatment
Get your free treatment plan
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More cases by Dr. Marina Antoniuk
Questions about this kind of case
Why are short, worn teeth often rebuilt on the upper and lower arches together?
Wear usually affects both arches, and the teeth meet each other. Lengthening only the upper teeth can leave the lower edges flat, crowd the bite or change how the jaw moves. Planning both arches together lets the new length, overlap and contacts be set in one design. Dr. Marina Antoniuk at Creative Arts in Dubai decides this after a functional assessment of the bite and jaw joints.
What does axiography show before worn teeth are lengthened?
Axiography records how the jaw joints move when the mouth opens, closes and slides sideways. That movement path helps the dentist set the new tooth length and the guidance of the front teeth so the restorations work with the joints rather than against them. At Creative Arts in Dubai, Dr. Marina Antoniuk uses axiography and condylography where the case calls for it.
614 Jumeira St, Jumeirah 3, Umm Suqeim 1, Dubai · Open daily 10:00–20:00 · +971 4 342 4444