Peg Lateral Restoration
Some kids' front teeth come in naturally small. With injectable composite, we build them to full, beautiful shape — without drilling away any healthy tooth.
A small tooth, finished beautifully.
A "peg lateral" is a lateral incisor — one of the teeth beside the front two — that erupts smaller and more cone-shaped than its neighbors.
It's a common, harmless quirk of development, but it can make a young smile look uneven — and kids notice. Caring about how a child feels in their own smile is Whole Child Wellness at work. Injectable composite restoration fixes it additively: we design the tooth's ideal shape first, then inject warm, flowable tooth-colored composite through a custom clear mold and sculpt it directly onto the natural tooth. Nothing healthy is drilled away. The small tooth simply becomes a full one, matched in color and translucency to the teeth around it.
Conservative now, every option later.
The injectable technique is everything we believe about restorative care, applied to a smile's most visible spot.
Additive, Not Subtractive
We add to the tooth instead of cutting it down — the natural tooth underneath stays whole and untouched.
Designed First
The new shape is planned and molded before anything touches the tooth, so the result is precise — not improvised.
Right for Growing Smiles
Because nothing is removed, the door stays open for any future choice — when your child is grown, every option still exists.
Confidence, Visibly
Lateral incisors sit front and center in photos, smiles, and school pictures. Evening them out changes how a kid carries themselves.
Timed to your child, not the calendar.
Peg laterals are often discovered at routine checkups, and the right moment to restore them varies — sometimes after orthodontics has created the ideal space, sometimes sooner if a self-conscious smile is weighing on a child now. We coordinate with your orthodontist when braces are part of the picture, and we'll tell you honestly if waiting serves your child better.
Either way, the conversation starts with a simple exam — and a plan you'll understand before you leave.
The honest fine print
Composite is strong and beautiful, but it lives a real life — over the years it can pick up stains or chips, especially with nail-biting or ice-chewing habits. The good news: because the technique is additive, touch-ups and refreshes are straightforward, and the natural tooth underneath is never compromised. We'll check the restoration at every regular visit.
From small to stunning, in four steps.
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Exam and design
We study the tooth, the bite, and the smile around it, then design the ideal final shape before treatment begins.
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A custom clear mold
The design becomes a clear matrix — a precise mold of the tooth's new shape, made just for your child.
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Inject and sculpt
Flowable composite is injected through the mold onto the tooth and light-cured — building the full shape in one gentle visit, with no drilling of healthy enamel.
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Polish and reveal
We refine and polish until the restored tooth is indistinguishable from its neighbors — then hand over the mirror.
Peg lateral questions, answered.
It's a lateral incisor — the tooth on either side of the two front teeth — that develops smaller and more pointed than usual. It's one of the most common tooth-shape variations, it isn't a disease, and it doesn't hurt. It's purely a matter of how the smile looks — which, for many kids and teens, matters a great deal.
Very little, if anything — many children need little or no numbing at all. Because nothing healthy is drilled, the visit is mostly additive: composite is placed onto the tooth, shaped, and cured with light.
Veneers and crowns usually require permanently reshaping the natural tooth — a big commitment for a young smile. Injectable composite adds without subtracting, so the tooth underneath stays intact and every future option remains open. For growing patients, that's exactly the kind of decision we want to make.
It depends on your child's smile and whether orthodontics is in the picture — sometimes the perfect moment is after braces have set the spacing, sometimes sooner. Bring it up at any checkup, or call (760) 730-3456 and we'll take a look.