Tooth Contouring & Reshaping

Tooth Contouring (Reshaping): Minimally Invasive Smile Enhancement at Schaefer Dental Group in Lansing, Michigan

Sometimes little defects in teeth can attract more than their fair share of attention—a tiny chip in a front tooth, a slight mismatch in tooth size, or an extra-pointy canine. If you find yourself staring at these subtle yet distracting features in your own smile, help is available—often with a minimally invasive, relatively inexpensive procedure known as tooth contouring (reshaping).

Tooth contouring involves removing a tiny amount of tooth enamel with a drill to sculpt a more pleasing shape and make the tooth fit in better with its neighbors. The tooth is then polished for a smooth finish. The procedure is most often used on the upper front incisors and canines, which are your most visible teeth.

Cosmetic Problems Corrected by Tooth Contouring

Tooth contouring can be used to correct a variety of minor cosmetic concerns:

• Small chips

• Uneven tooth length

• Slight overlaps

• Tooth edges that are too flattened or pointy

• Minor bite problems resulting from teeth touching unevenly

The procedure can also be used to give teeth a more feminine or masculine shape, simply by rounding or squaring the edges. Contouring should only be done when it will not result in any bite imbalances.

What to Expect at Your Lansing Dentist

The first step in the contouring procedure is a thorough examination to diagnose how the reshaping will best achieve your goal of smile enhancement or correct a bite problem.

• No Anesthetic Needed: Most often, tooth contouring only involves the removal of a bit of enamel—the hard, outer covering of the tooth. Because enamel is not living and contains no nerves, you will likely not need even a local anesthetic.

• Quick Procedure: You will feel some vibration as your tooth is gently sculpted and then polished smooth. Reshaping one tooth usually takes less than half an hour—and the results will be obvious immediately.

• Temporary Sensitivity: Sometimes reshaped teeth can be a little sensitive to hot or cold after the procedure, but this should last no more than a day or two.

Tooth contouring can be combined with whitening for a dramatically younger-looking smile, or used in conjunction with cosmetic bonding or dental veneers for teeth with larger imperfections. Contact Schaefer Dental Group in Lansing, Michigan, to find out if tooth contouring is the right step for your smile makeover.