Sometimes, you only need a minor touchup to achieve your dream smile. For instance, if you don’t like the shape and size of your teeth, Dr. John Aurelia of John L. Aurelia, D.D.S., PLLC, Rochester, Michigan, offers cosmetic dental recontouring to beautify your grin. Also known as enameloplasty or tooth reshaping, dental contouring involves shaving a small amount of your enamel to improve its shape and erase stains, chips, cracks, and rough edges.
The dental contouring procedure: What to expect
Cosmetic tooth reshaping is a minimally invasive procedure to reshape your enamel to remove minor imperfections for an even, attractive smile. Here are the steps involved in dental recontouring:
- Dental examination: We use digital X-rays to establish the health of your teeth. Mostly, we want to determine whether you have sufficient enamel to qualify for dental contouring. If you don’t have adequate enamel, dental reshaping can get too close to your dental pulp and nerves, causing irreversible damage. In such cases, we will recommend veneers or crowns to maintain the integrity of your teeth
- Teeth marking: If you’re eligible for enameloplasty, we mark your teeth to lay the foundation for the desired outcome. This involves identifying chips, cracks, jutted edges, and other dental imperfections that need to be addressed during the procedure
- Contouring/shaping: Now to the main action! We gently shave or sand down a thin layer of your enamel using a drill to reshape your teeth. We smooth out chips and round or square off rough edges to achieve beautiful-looking teeth. Also, we use sanding instruments to buff away the surface to eliminate stains and rough edges from your teeth
- Bonding and polishing: The final step is to restore teeth with dental bonding. After enamel removal, your teeth may lose their color and strength, hence the need for restoration. We use tooth-colored composite resin to carry out dental bonding for a natural-looking outcome. After bonding, we polish your teeth to restore their youthful luster
The entire dental contouring process lasts about between 30-60 minutes. Indeed, it’s a quick cosmetic procedure to dramatically improve your smile’s esthetics.
Benefits of cosmetic dental contouring
If you need a little more convincing about this procedure, consider the additional benefits below:
- No anesthesia is required — your enamel doesn’t have nerves, so you experience no pain during dental contouring
- We can complete the procedure in an hour or less
- It’s permanent, so you don’t need further procedures in the future
- It’s a cost-effective procedure with outstanding results
- Smoothing out rough edges minimizes the risk of irritating your soft tissues
The only significant downside of dental contouring is that it leaves you with thinned-down enamel. As a result, you may be more sensitive to cold and hot sensations. We always advise patients to counter this side effect by brushing gently using non-abrasive toothpaste. Additionally, you should wear a nightguard if you suffer from chronic teeth grinding and clenching (bruxism).
Elevate your smile appeal with cosmetic dental contouring
If minor imperfections such as chips, stains, and cracks stand in the way of your perfect smile, dental contouring can help you rediscover your smile’s beauty. To get started, please call (248) 243-6044 to schedule your consultation.
Dr. John Aurelia | Dr. Dina Khoury
Connect with John L. Aurelia, DDS on Linkedin.
Experience dentistry with a difference at the office of
John L. Aurelia, DDS. With our
friendly staff and warm atmosphere, we ensure that your comfort and wellbeing take priority.
Dr. John L. Aurelia received his BA degrees in Biology, Business and Economics from the Kalamazoo College, MI and his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Detroit Mercy. He’s keen on continuous education and has followed courses in
cosmetic dentistry,
implants, and occlusion at places like the
Dawson Academy for Advanced Continuing Dental Education and
Pankey Institute. He’s a member of the
Academy of General Dentistry, and American and Michigan Dental Associations. He has participated in many humanitarian missions.
Having graduated from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry,
Dr. Dina Khoury served Veterans during her residency at the VA Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. She has been in private practice for two decades and is passionate about
cosmetic dentistry.