Sunday, May 30, 2010

Cosmetic Dental Contouring

Cosmetic dental contouring can make a lackluster composite restoration lifelike and realistic. The most obvious feature corrected is the elimination of the mamelons, or the small bumps on the edges of the front teeth.





The feature in a smile that is the most overlooked, and the one which makes the teeth look so much more natural is the contour and surface texture of the front teeth. In the first photo, you can see the dull, round surface of the tooth just to the right of center (right on the photo.) In the second photo, the restoration has not been replaced, but only carved and recontoured so that the light reflection is similar to the tooth next to it. This improvement was done quickly, without anesthetic, and at very minimal time and cost.