Dental Recontouring

Dental recontouring maybe the right choice for people who want to correct minor imperfections and overall dental health by removing minor crevices or overlaps in which plaque or tatar can accumulate. (Credit: Powerbooktrance)

Dental recontouring maybe the right choice for people who want to correct minor imperfections and overall dental health by removing minor crevices or overlaps in which plaque or tatar can accumulate.

Dental recontouring is a quick and painless procedure in which small amounts of tooth enamel are removed in order to change the length, shape or surface contours of a tooth. It is also called tooth reshaping or odontoplasty.

Dental recontouring is not a substitute for veneers or bonding and you should have realistic expectations before opting to go in for it. You may want your dentist to show you before and after photographs of other patients who have had dental recontouring or the dentist may use a computer imaging program that will show what your teeth will look like after the procedure is done.

Since recontouring doesn’t affect the living pulp of the tooth, it can usually be done without an anesthetic and can be completed in one or two visits. Your dentist will take X-rays to determine the size and location of the tooth’s pulp, the center of the tooth, which contains the nerves and blood vessels. Recontouring can be done only if the overall structure of the tooth is sound. Dental recontouring is not possible if the tooth has a thin layer of enamel or if the pulp lies close to the surface.

Recontouring is carried out by removing small amounts of tooth enamel with a sanding disk or fine diamond burs. In case of imperfections between teeth, the dentist may use strips of sandpaper to shape and smooth the sides. Once the teeth are reshaped, the dentist will polish the teeth.

Though dental recontouring doesn’t involve too many risks, a tooth that has been recontoured may become sensitive.