Not sure what any of these dental terms really involve? Here is a plain-language guide for Mandalay West residents, with care available at our McPhillips Street clinic.
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You may have heard it called reshaping, contouring or even “shaving” a tooth. In dental offices, tooth reshaping and enamel contouring are the same treatment: a very small amount of outer enamel is gently removed to smooth a rough edge or balance a slight difference in shape.
Enamel is the hard outer layer of a tooth, and it does not grow back. So this isn’t a way to give a tooth a whole new form. Mandalay West is in Winnipeg, and if you live there and want to know whether the term applies to your own teeth, an assessment at Winnipeg North Dental on McPhillips Street can tell you.
Explore tooth reshaping
Reshaping and enamel contouring describe the same small adjustment to a tooth’s outer surface.
Material comes off a tooth during contouring, whereas bonding adds resin to one.
Treatment has to stay within a safe thickness, which is why it suits only minor refinement.
Dental language can make simple ideas sound complicated. These are the main terms used around this treatment and what they mean in practice.
Knowing a few anatomy words makes it easier to follow what the dentist is telling you about your tooth.
These describe what is actually done and checked during an appointment, if contouring goes ahead.
If a word comes up at your visit that you don’t recognize, ask what it means. Plain answers are a reasonable thing to expect.
Here is the appointment, with a short reason attached to each part of it.
Request your visitYou explain what you’d like to change, and that helps the dentist understand what you mean by uneven, sharp or too long.
Enamel thickness, tooth health and bite are reviewed. Those findings decide whether the treatment is possible, and how much could be done.
If appropriate, planned areas are gently adjusted using fine instruments, with the shape and symmetry being compared as work continues.
The treated area is polished to remove roughness, and contacts are reassessed to see that the change works with your bite.
Everyday language works perfectly well here. Saying that a tooth looks pointy, feels scratchy or seems longer than the one beside it gives the dentist plenty to start with.
One exception to the relaxed approach: a tooth that is painful, swollen around it or suddenly broken is something to phone the clinic about.
The waiting area and a dental chair at our clinic.
Words like “shaving” can sound harsher than the treatment usually feels. Having the process explained in plain terms may be all you need to decide if you’d like to know more.
Enamel can’t register pain the way deeper layers can, so anaesthetic is often unnecessary here.
A reaction suggests it’s time to stop and reassess, so tell the dentist as soon as it occurs.
Feel free to ask what any step, sound or instrument is for, before or during the work.
After the appointment
Permanent can sound alarming. In this case, it means the enamel that was removed stays gone, which is why very little is taken. Here is what follows from that.
Treat the tooth as you treat your others, and ask the clinic if you have particular home-care questions.
The surface is polished, so a newly scratchy area deserves an assessment to find out why.
If you later want something different, bonding or another option may be discussed, since enamel can’t be put back.
A question about a word or a sensation after your visit? Phone us and ask.
Talk with our team
Winnipeg North Dental
Unit-5 2358 Mcphillips Street, Winnipeg, MB R2V 4J6Get directions (opens in a new tab)Mandalay West residents have this care at Winnipeg North Dental, Unit 5, 2358 McPhillips Street, Winnipeg. Open the directions link to see how to reach the clinic.
The form sends us your request without booking a set time, and the clinic gets in touch to arrange one. Please call if a tooth is hurting.
Questions about coverage?
Talk with our team before your visit or learn about CDCP.
Helpful details about tooth reshaping in Mandalay West.
Ask our teamPeople usually mean the same small adjustment when they use those words. The dental terms are tooth reshaping or enamel contouring. If you heard the word elsewhere, ask what was meant, because “shaving” is not a precise term.
Yes. Tooth reshaping changes enamel, while gum contouring is a separate service involving the gum tissue. If a tooth appears long due to the gumline, enamel contouring won’t correct that.
Reshaping only refines an existing outline by removing a tiny amount of enamel. Veneers involve broader planning for the shape, colour and texture of front teeth, and the dentist can compare them for your goals.
Often this treatment is about appearance, though a rough edge that catches your tongue or lip is a comfort concern as well. What a rough edge needs depends on what the examination finds.
It means enough healthy enamel is present, no crack or restoration problem explains the concern, and your bite can accept the change. That judgment is made for each tooth after assessment.
Send a request using this page or call (204) 338-3003 with your question. The clinic replies to set up a time, and you’d come to McPhillips Street in Winnipeg for your visit.
You may come across these while reading about reshaping. Each page explains what the treatment does and how it differs from enamel contouring.
Explore gum contouring in Winnipeg for reshaping an uneven or prominent gumline, including assessment, laser options, recovery and realistic results.
Explore serviceLearn how dental bonding in Winnipeg uses tooth-coloured resin to repair small chips, close minor spaces and refine tooth shape, often in one visit.
Explore serviceConsidering cosmetic veneers in Winnipeg? Learn which colour, shape, spacing and symmetry concerns they may address and what planning involves.
Explore serviceHave an urgent concern? Call (204) 338-3003 to discuss availability.
No jargon required
From Mandalay West, send us your request here. The clinic will reply about setting up a time to visit McPhillips Street.
Patient testimonials
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