Dental Reshaping: How This Pain-free Procedure Works

Did you know that you can improve your teeth’ appearance and boost your self-confidence by undergoing a tooth reshaping procedure? Although braces too can be used to improve one’s smile, tooth contouring is the easier and less expensive option. Read on to find out more about the dental shaping cycle, which makes the perfect candidate, and the aftercare tips.

Tooth Reshaping Definition

Tooth reshaping, also known as odontoplasty, is a corrective dental procedure done to fix broken, chipped, skewed, or lopsided teeth. This effortless and snappy procedure involves removing portions of the tooth’s dental enamel with the problem and molding or lengthening the tooth to the desired shape afterward. During this procedure, your dental practitioner may use a tooth-colored bonding resin to shape your teeth.

Who Makes a Perfect Candidate for Dental Contouring?

Before you choose to undergo this cosmetic procedure, you should note that tooth reshaping aims to correct minor teeth imperfections and is not an ideal option for people with major teeth issues. If you have severely misaligned, crooked, or overlapping teeth, most dentists will recommend another procedure like dental braces.

To be considered for dental reshaping, you must have healthy gums and teeth. This is because it will involve the removal of some parts of the enamel, which offers protection to the inner tooth layers; thus, it jeopardizes the tooth’s integrity. Therefore, if you have an infected tooth pulp, unhealthy gums, or decayed teeth, you will first have to resolve these issues before your dentist performs this procedure.

Teeth Reshaping Procedure

Dental contouring is a simple, same-day procedure that you can get at Bella Smiles Cosmetic and Family Dentistry. When you visit our dental clinic for tooth reshaping, the first thing our dentist will do is an oral examination that will be inclusive of dental x-rays. This will help shed light on the health of your teeth and oral tissues.

Your enamel’s integrity and strength will also be tested. If you happen to have thin or weak enamel, the dentist may recommend a different procedure like teeth veneers. With veneers, a protective porcelain cover is placed over your tooth’s front surface to improve its appearance. It is used to fix cracked, misaligned, and chipped teeth.

If your enamel, gums, and teeth are healthy, the process will begin with the dentist filing out some part of the enamel using a diamond bur or sanding disc. This helps to minimize the tooth’s imperfections. Next, your oral caregiver will smoothen and shape uneven teeth, as well as for trim teeth that are longer to improve your bite and teeth alignment.

Dental experts will combine dental contouring with tooth bonding to correct gaps in between teeth or a chipped tooth. The bonding procedure uses tooth-colored resin to reshape and mold a tooth into the desired shape. When the bonding material is applied, it is shaped and then given time to harden. This process can take about 30 to 60 minutes, but if you have several teeth undergoing the procedure, you may be in the dentist’s office for a while.

Tooth Reshaping and Contouring Benefits

Some of the benefits of this oral cosmetic procedure are:

• Improves teeth appearance boosting one’s self-esteem
• It makes teeth cleaning activities easier
• Teeth contouring fixes small dental issues such as poor alignment, cracks, and chipped teeth
• It is convenient and saves time as it is completed in one visit
• Tooth reshaping is a painless procedure that does not require any localized anesthesia or pain medication
• Teeth contouring is a less-expensive cosmetic dental procedure as compared to braces

Teeth Reshaping Before & After Care Tips

Although both teeth reshaping and dental bonding are ideal ways to improve teeth cosmetics, a good aftercare routine is important if you want to maintain the results. In addition, bonded teeth should not be used to bite hard substances, as the resin material used is susceptible to chipping and cracking. To lower such risks, patients are advised to avoid chewing gum, biting nails, and eating hard foodstuffs.

It is also possible for bonded teeth to get stains. To avoid this, one should limit their consumption of drinks and foods that stain teeth. Some of these drinks include red wine and coffee. You are also encouraged to practice ideal dental care routines like brushing teeth after every meal, flossing, and making regular visits to a dentist for professional teeth cleaning and oral check-ups.