What is Dental Contouring?
It is a term in cosmetic dentistry referring to the processes of reshaping teeth. Tooth reshaping is the most common and known type of dental contouring. It entails changing the appearance of teeth regarding size and shape.
However, as you might learn from a dentist near you, it can sometimes involve gum reshaping surgery. Teeth reshaping and gum sculpting are both crucial aspects of cosmetic dentistry, particularly for smile makeovers. Gum sculpting entails a surgical procedure to lower or heighten the gum line to improve the appearance of a smile.
Why Do You Need Dental Contouring?
- Such dental procedures can correct many dental flaws in your smile, whether targeting your teeth or gums. Some of the ways you can benefit from dental contouring are:
- Broken or cracked teeth – one of the most common reasons people need dental contouring is tooth fractures. A crack, chip, or break on a tooth can be masked using dental contouring and bonding procedures.
- Crookedness and overcrowded teeth – although orthodontics is the go-to specialty to correct crookedness of teeth and overcrowding, you can benefit from dental contouring as a cosmetic alternative. The dentist will reshape your teeth accordingly to straighten them.
- Unusually shaped teeth – every type of tooth has a standard appearance. If your teeth are too pointy, boxed off, or rounded, you will need teeth contouring.
- Receded gums – are often common for patients with gum disease. The infection damages the soft tissues in your mouth, causing your gums to pull away from your teeth.
Gummy smile – occurs when your gum line is so high up that it makes your teeth look smaller than they are.
What to Expect During Dental Contouring
The eventualities of your dental contouring procedure largely depend on the type of treatment. Some of the things to anticipate during dental contouring are:
- Numbing – the dentist in SE Calgary must numb your mouth to ensure you undergo a painless procedure. In the cases of gum sculpting, sedation dentistry may be necessary.
- Drilling – whether using a traditional dental drill or lasers, your cosmetic dentist must trim your tooth enamels. Usually, the shaving process will remove as much tooth enamel as necessary to correct the shape and size of your tooth. The dentist will drill your tooth while remaining mindful of the oral appliance (s)he will use to complete your treatment.
- Dental bonding – contouring, and bonding in Calgary, AB, go hand-in-hand. Dental bonding is attaching an oral appliance or restoration to your tooth enamel. Where drilling has occurred, dentists will not use composite resin. Instead, they employ dental veneers and crowns that adhere to natural teeth using dental cement. If you prefer composite bonding, drilling may not be necessary for your dental contouring treatment.
Benefits of Dental Contouring
When you visit us at Meadows View Dental, you will hear directly from our dental team about the incredible benefits of dental contouring. It will be the best way to help you make an informed decision that potentially influences your quality of life for the better. Some of the benefits of dental contouring you will learn about are:
- Preserving natural tooth – over time, tooth enamels deteriorate through a wear and tear process. Patients who hardly take good care of their teeth may experience significant wearing down of teeth enamel. Dental contouring can be the perfect remedy for such problems, strengthening, restoring, and preserving your natural teeth.
Improving aesthetic appearance – many patients undergo dental contouring procedures to improve the appearance of their teeth when they smile. Dental contouring can transform your smile by remedying the oral issues mentioned earlier, among others.
- Boosting self-confidence – a good-looking smile is a perfect excuse to exude confidence in your daily affairs. It can become a great conversation starter and even become the reason you leave behind good first impressions. Sometimes the only reason you need for undergoing a dental procedure is to benefit your self-confidence. If it takes dental contouring to heighten your confidence and improve the quality of your life, why not do it? Besides, it is a relatively short dental procedure that offers a quick fix to many oral issues.