One of the first things that people notice about you is your smile, and having a great smile can improve your confidence and your self-esteem. While you can work to keep your smile in shape by brushing and flossing, certain situations can affect the aesthetics of your teeth.
If you’re looking to improve the cosmetic appearance of your mouth, then tooth reshaping might be an option for you. Here is everything you need to know about this cosmetic procedure and how much you can expect to pay to get it done.
Tooth reshaping is a convenient way to fix teeth that might be cracked, chipped, misaligned, or uneven. It’s a technique that involves removing a small amount of enamel, the outer portion of your teeth, to change the shape, length, or surface of your teeth.
Sometimes, a dentist might apply a tooth-colored resin that attaches to your teeth and hardens. This is all dependent on your specific circumstances.
Tooth reshaping is meant for minor cosmetic setbacks, like small cracks or chips. For more extensive work, you’d need an alternative like fillings or dental bonding.
Tooth reshaping is a cost-effective alternative to many other forms of cosmetic dental work. It can effectively make subtle changes without any healing process, and the procedure doesn’t require anesthesia or numbing. In most cases, your dentist can complete the entire process in just a single visit.
It’s a wonderful alternative for braces in people with minor cosmetic setbacks they’d like to address.
The main disadvantage of tooth reshaping is that you can only get support for minor cosmetic work. This means that it can really only help for minor alignment issues or tiny cracks. Not to mention, there’s always the risk that too much enamel is removed, leaving your teeth extra sensitive to hot and cold.
Tooth reshaping is a mostly simple and painless process that can start and finish in a single session. But before your dentist does anything, they’ll give you an oral exam to check the health of your teeth and gums.
They’ll also check your enamel to make sure you have enough left for the procedure in the first place. If you don’t, they'll likely recommend an alternative procedure. If everything looks good, they’ll move forward.
Your dentist will begin by using a sanding disc to remove some of your tooth enamel. This minimizes imperfections that can be seen on the tooth. Next, they will trim or shorten the length of longer teeth or reshape surrounding teeth to make your mouth look more uniform and natural.
For chips or cracks, they might use some dental bonding material to fill in the gaps and restore the appearance of your teeth. When applied, this material hardens and matches the appearance of your natural teeth perfectly. Note that bonding will increase the price of your procedure.
Aftercare for teeth reshaping is relatively simple. And since there’s no recovery process, you don’t need to change your habits after you leave the office. However, if you want the procedure’s benefits to last for longer, there are some practices you can deploy.
Brush your teeth and floss twice daily to keep your teeth clean and pearly white. You might have some minor sensitivity after your reshaping procedure. If so, avoid acidic foods or cold and hot foods to maintain your comfort.
Another benefit of teeth reshaping is that the procedure is much more cost-efficient than a lot of cosmetic procedures. Out of pocket, the cost of a reshaping procedure is around $50 to $300 per tooth, depending on the extent of work needed. Bear in mind that dental bonding will increase this price drastically, with upwards of $600 tacked onto your bill.
The main issue with this procedure, and many cosmetic dental treatments, is that they are not covered by insurance. Dental insurance plans typically only cover procedures that work to treat or prevent diseases. Since the appearance of your smile doesn’t affect your oral health, many insurers are reluctant to shell out any money.
This makes a lot of people unable to get the care that they want in order to boost their confidence. Luckily, just because you don’t have insurance or are unable to use it for your cosmetic procedure doesn’t mean you can’t get it.
Tooth reshaping can only help people with minor cosmetic problems that can be easily fixed. For more major issues, you’ll need some more heavy-duty adjustments. This can be accomplished through the following methods.
Dental veneers are a cosmetic treatment aimed at fixing the appearance of cracked, chipped, or stained teeth. They are similar to tooth reshaping, except these utilize a prosthetic that covers the front portion of your tooth.
The process of placing a veneer is similar in some ways to tooth reshaping. First, your dentist will give you a dental exam to ensure your teeth and gums are healthy enough for placement. If you’re getting custom veneers, a dentist will also make impressions of your teeth and send them off to a lab where they will create your prosthetics.
During your placement visit, your dentist will grind down the surface of your teeth to make it easier for the veneer to adhere to the front. This is done by scraping off the enamel, though more enamel is taken before a veneer is placed as opposed to reshaping. Once done, the veneer is adhered to the tooth with a cement to hold it in place.
There’s no downtime following veneer placement; you can resume normal activities the same day. You can even eat and drink normally immediately after your appointment. Continue to brush and floss and take care of your teeth normally to extend their lifespan.
Veneers are more costly than teeth reshaping, averaging about $900 to $2,500 per tooth: A full mouth of veneers would cost thousands of dollars. Plus, since it’s a cosmetic procedure like reshaping, your dental insurance probably won’t cover it anyway.
Braces might be the best choice for more moderate or severe misaligned teeth. Braces are metal wires that adhere to the front of your teeth to help reposition them in your mouth.
Another option is invisible aligners, which are sort of like clear retainers that go over your teeth. You’ll swap these out for new trays every few days that gradually pull your teeth closer and closer into their perfect position.
The issue with these procedures is that they can be extremely expensive, with braces costing upwards of $8,000 for a full mouth, depending on which type of material you get. And yet again, most insurance plans won’t cover the cost of braces since it is a cosmetic procedure.
All of those talented dentists out there had to start somewhere, and most of them began their journeys at dental schools. Students at these universities need to practice their craft on real clients, so many of these procedures are open to the public at low cost since the students can’t make a profit (you still probably need to pay the price of materials).
Don’t worry: These students are monitored by a professional who ensures that they are doing everything correctly at every point in the process. So you don’t need to worry about not getting quality care.
Sometimes it’s impossible to fork over hundreds of dollars for a procedure, but if you can make small installment payments over time, it’s a lot easier to swallow. You can ask your dentist about flexible payment plans that might allow you to make smaller chunk payments over a few months rather than needing to pay upfront.
Remember that most of the time, if you go with this option, you’ll owe a little interest, which increases the total price overall.
When a new company releases a new product that might make it easier for dentists to perform the tooth reshaping procedure, this device will likely need to go through clinical trials to see its efficacy. You can involve yourself in trials like this to get treatment, often at no cost at all. In some cases, you might even be compensated for your time.
Tooth reshaping is a cosmetic procedure that involves sanding down the enamel on your teeth and reshaping the tooth to better align with the surrounding ones. It is a quick, painless procedure that is meant for individuals with just a minor amount of cosmetic abnormality.
The cost of tooth reshaping ranges upwards of $300 per tooth, and since it is not covered by insurance, you’ll need to pay that whole thing out of pocket. But you can try other options like dental schools, dental payment plans, or clinical trials to save.
Sources:
Dental Bonding: What is Teeth Bonding & What to Expect | Cleveland Clinic
Sensitive teeth: What treatments are available? | Mayo Clinic
What Are Dental Veneers? Cost, Procedure & Advantages | Cleveland Clinic
