Too Long? Too Short? How a Dentist Can Change the Length of Your Teeth

You can adjust a couple of things about your appearance through easy means or by simply waiting. Hair or nails too long? Then you just have them cut. Hair or nails too short? Wait for them to grow. This doesn't work with your teeth, although teeth that might appear to be too long or too short can be adjusted. This can alter your visible teeth-to-gum ratio, improving the overall look of your smile. It's actually a fairly simple cosmetic dentistry procedure, but not everyone's teeth will be appropriate for shortening. Even then, there are ways to work around the problem. So how does it work, and why can't everyone undergo the process?

Are Your Teeth Too Long?

When your teeth appear to be too long, a cosmetic dentist can shorten them by simply buffing them down. It might sound a bit unsettling, but remember that the process is performed with the utmost of precision. That precision is preceded by a preliminary check to make sure that your teeth can handle the process. 

What About the Size of Your Dental Pulp?

There is a certain degree of uniformity in adult human teeth, but any variations can make all the difference. Your dentist will x-ray your teeth to examine the dental pulp, which is the nerve inside each tooth. This is to ensure that any resizing of the tooth does not reveal this dental pulp. It's important that it has an adequate protective coating, and if it's thought that resizing will expose the pulp, your dentist will be unable to proceed. This is not the end of the process though, since teeth can still be reshaped with dental crowns and veneers. It won't reduce their size, but it can make them appear less prominent.

Are Your Teeth Too Short?

It's not as though your dentist needs to greatly reduce the mass of your teeth when they're already too small. But removing a wafer-thin layer of enamel (the coating of your teeth) can be necessary for a cosmetic enlargement, specifically to allow a veneer or dental crown to properly adhere to the tooth. Once the cosmetic addition has been secured, the tooth appears to be significantly bulked up, and the positioning of your dental pulp is largely irrelevant.

Just as a nail salon or hairdresser can modify the length of your nails and hair, your dentist can do the same for your teeth, as well as increasing their length as needed. Call a cosmetic dentist for more information.

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