What is Tooth Reshaping and Why is it Done?

Tooth health is vital to our long term health as our teeth are essential to not only our physical needs but also our emotional needs. If you are struggling with complications involving cracked or broken teeth, it may be associated with a dental complication involving a change in your teeth alignments for which tooth reshaping may be considered.

Tooth reshaping is a simple procedure in which a tooth is mildly shaped to improve its appearance and function within the mouth. For most patients, the tooth reshaping is done as a cosmetic procedure to improve the appearance of the teeth without the need for braces, retainers, or other orthodontic appliances. In some cases, the reshaping may be necessary to prevent further malocclusion and to prevent further tooth damage. If your dentist is recommending tooth reshaping, it is important to know what risks you may face with the cosmetic procedure.

Also known as dental contouring, tooth reshaping is typically a very safe procedure and leads to few health complications. There are some dental patients, however, that may experience nerve exposure and tubule damage when the contouring, or reshaping, as gone too far. If you find that your teeth are overly sensitive after having a tooth reshaping cosmetic procedure, then your dentist may need to do further work to the teeth to alleviate nerve root pain.

In addition to nerve exposure, there is also a risk that tooth reshaping may lead to further complications when, or if, your teeth move in the future. If your malocclusion corrects, or worsens, then you may find the tooth reshaping leads to further malocclusion, or there is a risk that the tooth may crack or fracture. Any type of tooth reshaping, therefore, should be done under the guise that orthodontic work is not a better option.

Dental insurance typically does not cover the expenses associated with dental contouring or tooth reshaping. For this reason, be sure that you discuss cost of service and what option you may have available for insurance consideration. While not a true "risk" of this dental procedure, it can be a risk to your personal finances if you are ill-prepared to pay the expense associated with the use of tooth reshaping.

Sources: Curing Gingivitis Painlessly, by Eric Armstrong