Mother Teresa once said, “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” A smile is no small thing. It affects our life in huge ways. A winning smile can make us more popular, noticed, and even more successful. But there are some “small things” you can do to make your smile more attractive, including tooth contouring and bonding. If you would like to make subtle changes to your smile bring it to the attention of your northwest, IN, dentist, Dr. Nicholas Cain. He will be glad to discuss how bonding and contouring can improve your smile.
Tooth Contouring
Sometimes small changes can make all the difference, and tooth contouring can provide those small changes. Tooth contouring is a cosmetic technique that smoothes rough edges and imperfections, reshapes oddly shaped or overlapping teeth, and can remove sharp edges (such as “vampire fangs”), or just a few millimeters of tooth enamel to improve your smile. Tooth contouring is a minimally invasive technique that does not go deep enough to affect the nerves of the teeth. Therefore, it doesn’t require anesthesia. Before your dentist performs a contouring procedure, he or she will take a series of x-rays to determine if your enamel is strong enough to undergo the procedure without risking tooth sensitivity or breakage. Contouring will then be performed with dental instruments that sculpt, smooth, and polish each tooth.
Cosmetic Bonding
Sometimes contouring and bonding are used together. Bonding is another minimally invasive cosmetic dentistry technique used to make subtle improvements to your smile. Bonding involves applying tooth-colored composite resin to problem areas of the teeth such as pits, fissures, cracks, chips, and gaps. The composite can strengthen the tooth by adding structure, as it corrects the imperfections.
Small Changes
Tooth contouring and bonding are easy and inexpensive ways to make small changes, but big improvements. Other cosmetic dentistry alternatives, such as porcelain veneers, can provide more dramatic changes, but are also more invasive and more costly. After a contouring and bonding procedure, your friends and family may notice a definite improvement, but when they ask, “Did you get your hair cut?” or “Did you lose weight?” you can simply…smile.
ABOUT NICHOLAS CAIN, DDS.
If you’re considering improving your smile, Dr. Cain will be happy to provide a thorough dental evaluation and discuss the pros and cons of tooth contouring and cosmetic bonding. As a native of northwest Indiana, Nicholas Cain, DDS, is dedicated to providing excellent general, preventive, cosmetic, and family dentistry services to the community that raised him. To schedule your next dental appointment, call Healthy Smiles today at 219-938-2637.