Smiling can be quite beneficial for your health, it can help lower your stress but if you shy away from smiling due to the shape of your tooth, then keep on reading this article for the perfect solution. A crooked smile can be displeasing and thus many people opt for braces, bonding for the same. There is however another option to show off your pearly white with confidence called tooth contouring.
What is Tooth Contouring?
Tooth contouring is a cosmetic dental procedure also known as odontoplasty. This is also referred to as enameloplasty and this involves removing the minuscule amount of tooth’s enamel to reshape it. The process adjusts the length, size, and the shape of a tooth. In this procedure, the dentist uses a sanding disc and removes the enamel from your tooth to alter the shape of the same. Once the enamel is removed, the dentist polishes the area to complete the process. Tooth contouring can fix many dental issues including crooked, curved or chipped teeth.
Benefits of Tooth Contouring:
Tooth contouring can fix minor imperfection and help provide better smile as well as better oral health. This procedure is beneficial for people wanting straighter teeth by trimming overlapping teeth or reducing the length of a tooth and even correcting irregularly shaped teeth. This procedure rectifies the bumps in the enamel and overlapping teeth, which further improves dental health as it addresses plaque and tartar in the area. As tooth contouring removes enamel, this is used only for minor aesthetics. However, if you have thin enamel layer or prior tooth issue, you may not be the right candidate for tooth contouring.
Pros and Cons of Odontoplasty:
Like much cosmetic dentistry, a tooth contouring or odontoplasty has numerous advantages but there are few things one should keep in mind before going for this procedure. Tooth contouring is completely painless as the enamel doesn’t contain any nerve endings. The tooth contouring procedure can take less than 30 minutes but it is essential for each patient to consider the advantages as well as the disadvantages. The tooth contouring process only solves a few minor cosmetic issues and isn’t suitable for major work. Here are the few of the most common pros and cons of tooth contouring to consider before going for this procedure:
Pros
- Tooth contouring is a conventional method that can help modify the appearance of the shape of your tooth.
- As it reshapes the tooth’s enamel which has no nerve ending, it is virtually painless.
- Once the tooth is contoured, you need no recovery or downtime.
- The procedure is cheaper than other cosmetic dental surgery and can cost anywhere between $50 to $400 per tooth.
- This can decrease the chances of gum disease and lower the risk of decay.
Cons
- Teeth may become sensitive to the hot and cold substance, temporarily.
- Odontoplasty is just limited to subtle or minor changes.
- Too much removal of enamel can cause tooth breakage or even decay.
- If the contouring was done to curb grinding, a relapse may cause the initial problem to resurface.
Crown Lengthening
Other than this, the crown lengthening procedure is performed in case the tooth is shorter in length. This procedure is performed to expose more of the tooth to surgically remove bone, gum or even both. Once the local anesthetic is administered, the periodontist exposes the tooth roots by cutting through the gums. Tooth contouring and reshaping can even boost confidence by providing a healthier mouth and straighter smile. Dental contouring is a great choice for minor imperfections. The procedure can help fix chipped teeth, overlapping teeth, teeth with ragged edges and teeth showing minor wear due to a bad bite. Odontoplasty can be used with other dental procedures for optimal results. If you don’t like the way your teeth look and are looking for an economical solution, then Dental Contouring is your answer.