1. A Facelift for Your Teeth
Crooked teeth? Chipped teeth? Cracked teeth? Do you find yourself smiling without showing your teeth because you're self-conscious about them? With advances in cosmetic dentistry, those days can be behind you. Tooth contouring and reshaping is a quick, painless and effective way to broaden your smile, and also fix minor bite problems or overlapping teeth as well. By simply removing a small amount of the tooth enamel, or adding a laminate to build up small, crooked teeth, in just a few office visits and without the use of anesthesia, you can have a new smile.
2. All Teeth May Not be Created Equal
Not just everyone with a cracked or chipped tooth can hop into their dentist's chair and expect a contouring or reshaping. Teeth must first be examined to determine if the imperfections of your teeth can be repaired using this procedure, as it's meant for minor cracks, fractures and pits or grooves on the surface of the teeth, and not for extensive damage. X-rays must be taken to confirm that your teeth are healthy enough to withstand having a small amount of the enamel removed.
3. On Your Way to a More Attractive Smile
Tooth contouring and reshaping usually requires up to three visits to your dentist's office. In the first visit, your teeth are marked with a pencil to give the dentist guidelines to follow as he reshapes the teeth using a sanding drill or, in some cases, a laser to gradually remove enamel. Sides are sanded using abrasive strips rubbed between teeth. Tooth-colored laminate can then be applied, if needed, to shape or lengthen teeth. A follow-up visit or visits will polish and smooth the teeth.
4. When Tooth Contouring is Only the First Step
Sometimes, irregularities or imperfections of the teeth cannot be fully handled by tooth contouring or reshaping alone. In some cases, it is used in conjunction with another dental procedure to achieve desired results. After contouring and reshaping, thin plastic or porcelain pieces called veneers may be glued to the teeth to hide any pits, cracks or chips that could not fully be repaired. Another option is bonding, wherein plastic material is applied to the teeth, shaped and then hardened with a high-intensity light.
5. Some Things You Won't Smile About
In nearly all cases, tooth contouring and reshaping is effective, painless and permanent. In very rare circumstances, too much enamel may be removed, leading to a greater risk of fracturing or tooth decay. The real pain might be felt later, when you're billed; though relatively inexpensive (generally between $50 and $350 per tooth on average), cosmetic dentistry is hardly ever covered by insurance, which means you'll have to pay for contouring and reshaping yourself, and that may be nothing to smile about.
