Enamel Recontouring

Most people want straight, beautifully aligned, white teeth. Unfortunately, most people are not that lucky. When teeth are in poor alignment, rotated, tilted, and/or crowded, the obvious way to correct the problem is by orthodontics (braces or Invisalign aligners). However, there are situations in which it may not be possible or desirable to use braces to straighten teeth. You might feel that you are too old (although this is rarely the case), the cost of the orthodontics may be beyond your current means, you may not want to wear braces, or perhaps there are only a few areas that need attention and full orthodontics are simply not indicated.

In certain select cases, the appearance of your top and bottom teeth can be slightly or dramatically improved by recontouring the enamel. The four top and four bottom incisors and canines can be routinely altered. Sometimes teeth further back in your mouth can also be cosmetically improved. Recontouring is useful when there is slight to moderate overlapping of the front teeth, uneven wear, or teeth that do not have their biting and incising edges in harmony, creating an uneven “picket fence” look.

Enamel recontouring is usually a painless procedure and no local anesthetic is needed. The enamel that is overlapping or poorly shaped is removed, recontoured, and polished. Depending on your individual needs, one or several teeth may require some reshaping. Different amounts of enamel may be removed from different teeth. The recontoured teeth do not become more prone to decay, are not made more sensitive to temperature changes, and they are not made significantly weaker or damaged by the procedure.

Many times, the recontouring is all that is necessary to significantly improve your appearance. Other times, when the poor alignment is more pronounced, it may be done in conjunction with bonding of resin or porcelain to teeth. Your treatment will depend on your present conditions and on what you would like to see changed.

The procedure is not difficult for the patient and can often be done in only one appointment. The change is immediate and permanent. It does take an artistic flair on the part of the dentist to see what possibilities for change exist. We need to determine what enamel needs to be removed, where we must add, and where orthodontics is the treatment of choice. The fees are reasonable and depend on the extent of the treatment.

If you have any questions about enamel recontouring, please feel free to ask us!  

Hymeadow: (512) 250-5012

Jollyville: (512) 346-8424

West William Cannon: (512) 445-5721

Fixed and Removable Orthodontics

The traditional and stereotypical movie, television, and commercial vision of orthodontic treatment is one of yards of metal wire tied down to teeth so covered with silver bands and brackets that the whites of the teeth are barely visible. With today's advanced dental technology, this picture is far from accurate.

Tooth Alignment:
Changes in tooth alignment can be accomplished in several different ways. When appropriate, upper and lower arch expanders can be used to increase the curvature of the tooth-bearing supporting structures. These expanders are usually cemented into place and are not able to be removed by the patient. The expanders are often a prelude to fixed metal bands. They can be cemented to the teeth as well as longitudinal arch wires and springs and still be used to move teeth.

The look:
Some time ago, the desire of patients to show less metal resulted in the development of bonded tooth-colored and clear brackets (as opposed to the metal bands that completely surround a tooth). These brackets cover only about 25% of the tooth surface and are bonded into place. The trade-off with the more esthetic bonded brackets is a higher percentage of dislodgement of the bracket, requiring additional office visits for repair and replacement. The wires and springs are changed periodically to accomplish the various stages of movement. The metal components stay in place until the tooth movement is finished. Some dental conditions mandate the use of this traditional orthodontic process.

Removable:

Tooth-colored Braces

It is not always necessary to use fixed devices to move teeth. Less aggressive tooth movement can additionally be done with patient-removable appliances. Some are made of a gum-colored pink acrylic material with metal wires and springs embedded in them. These are worn by the patient except when he or she is eating, brushing, and flossing. The metal and plastic appliances do not show as much metal so they are somewhat more acceptable. The trade-off with removable appliances is that they only work when they are in the patient's mouth, making proper patient compliance a big issue. If you do not wear them, the teeth will not move as planned. The metal and plastic appliances are used in what is called minor tooth movement. Many orthodontic cases are not appropriate for removable appliance therapy.

Invisalign:

Several years ago, a new type of removable appliance therapy was developed and patented. Align Technology has a product called Invisalign. Clear, thin plastic aligners (positioners) are sequentially placed to move the teeth in a precise fashion. The aligners are left in the mouth as much as possible and removed only for eating, drinking, and cleaning the teeth. Again, if you do not wear them, the teeth will not move. The aligners are almost invisible when in place and are extraordinarily acceptable esthetically. They are indicated for adults and patients older than 14 years who have all permanent teeth in including fully erupted second molars. They can be used to treat simple to fairly extensive misalignment problems. Most cases are completed in about 12 months. Research is still in progress to determine the limits of this process.

The doctor who will be performing the orthodontic treatment will take these different modalities into consideration and develop a treatment plan best suited to your needs. Age of the patient, number of teeth involved, and extent of movement are primary factors in the decision-making process. Please be sure to ask why or why not one technique rather than another was suggested.

If you have any questions about your orthodontic treatment, please feel free to ask us.