The reshaping of front teeth for aesthetic reasons is also common. But again, even if the reason is cosmetic, a dental professional should do the teeth shaving. Cosmetic recontouring involves gently reshaping and polishing the front teeth to make crooked teeth appear straighter or more attractive.
The short answer is "yes." If the damage is minor, the dentist might be able to file the tooth and smooth out the chip. If the damage is severe, the tooth will probably require more than enamel reshaping. In any case, do not fret about a chipped tooth.
Only about 0.2mm to 0.5mm of enamel will be removed, which helps preserve as much of your natural teeth as possible. However, if you opt for no-prep veneers, no shaving is needed. Like recontouring, veneers can adjust the size and shape of your teeth.
The technical term for teeth shaving referred to by orthodontists is Interproximal Reduction or IPR. It has other names like Slenderizing, Air Rotor Stripping (ARS), or Reproximation. Filing between your teeth using an electric or hand file removes the enamel from between the teeth.
The process is performed using abrasive dental instruments and can involve bonding, which uses composite material that match the colour of your teeth and reshapes the surface. Sanding instruments are used to gently remove small amounts of enamel and change the shape of your teeth, removing any small imperfections.
Sometimes your front teeth look large because of your gums. If your gums are not properly contoured, it can change the shape and size of your teeth. It could be your gums covering too much of the lateral incisors, causing them to look small, or not covering enough of your front teeth, making them look big.
Dentists often combine shaping or contouring teeth with a treatment called bonding, which involves applying resin to improve the overall appearance of the teeth. The front teeth are the best candidates for reshaping and bonding.
Teeth Shaving Done at the Dentist
Medically, the procedure also goes by names like odontoplasty, enameloplasty and occlusal equilibration.
Tooth shaving is a simple process. Your dentist may use a drill and a variety of burs or discs to shave down the tooth, but sandpaper strips may also be used manually to help file down teeth. Since very small amounts of tooth structure are being removed, it is a painless process and anesthesia is not needed.
The first teeth to appear usually are the two bottom front teeth, also known as the central incisors. They're usually followed 4 to 8 weeks later by the four front upper teeth (central and lateral incisors). About a month later, the lower lateral incisors (the two teeth flanking the bottom front teeth) will appear.
A good dentist can make the whole process of front tooth extraction seem painless and straightforward because of his/her years of practice. However, there are a few instances in which a person may feel some pain. For example, when the needle goes in the gums to numb up the teeth, it may be painful.
How Much Does Tooth Shaving Cost? Relative to other dental procedures, tooth filing is an inexpensive procedure. The exact price depends on your location, the dental practice and the extent of shaving required. Regardless, you should be able to get the procedure done for $50 to $350 per tooth.
YouTube, TikTok, and many other social media sites have countless videos showing how to do it. However, we highly recommend straying away from this method as it can damage the enamel on your teeth which cannot be regrown. Once you damage your enamel, there is no turning back, leading to all sorts of other problems.
What you remove won't grow back. The protective layer of enamel you're chipping away at is limited. Once you break through it, the damage is done. It's such an important part of your tooth's health, and without it, you're basically just shortening the lifespan of your teeth.
We're often asked “are your front teeth supposed to be longer?” Yes! Most smiles have longer front two teeth. However, if you don't like the way it makes your smile look, we can make teeth the same length.
Cosmetic tooth bonding
A composite resin is chosen to match a patient's natural tooth color and the material is bonded directly to the tooth that needs repairing. The newly bonded tooth will be contoured and shaped to match the patient's other teeth in order to give patients natural-looking results.
Thus, longer front teeth are associated with youth, warmth and thus sex appeal. This is a good smile to choose if you have an attractive nose, sharp chin, and prominent lips, as the longer incisors draw attention to those areas of the face. Also, if you want to appear younger, longer central incisors are recommended.
Try tilting your head to find an angle you're more comfortable with as you smile. Raising or lowering your head just a little bit can significantly change which teeth are visible. Raising the head, in particular, can make a smaller smile seem larger and brighter.
In true generalized macrodontia, all teeth grow in larger than normal. This is a symptom of rare genetic disorder cases of growth hormone excess called pituitary gigantism. Other patients may have a disease called Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome which predisposes to generalized macrodontia.
As every set of teeth is different, the cost will depend on the level of cosmetic work required. However, you can expect to pay around $50 to $300 per tooth. If you require bonding as an additional service, you can expect to pay an additional $300 to $600 per tooth.
Pros: Happier with your smile, feeling more confident, and improved look and appearance. Cons: Healthy tooth structure is removed which can lead to malocclusion or unnecessary tooth wear if not properly managed.
Slenderizing has proven to be a very effective and stable treatment. The small amount of enamel removed from teeth is not enough to increase your risk of developing decay. And slenderizing will not cause gum disease nor does it harm the gum tissue.