Unbiased oral health information

Diagnoses

Poorly contoured dental restorations

Common treatment options

In most dental situations, you have the time to evaluate your treatment choices. No treatment is always an option, but may not be in your best interest. If you elect to be treated, there is often more than one way to proceed. Common treatment options for this diagnosis are listed on this page.

If the restoration cannot be recontoured ideally, it should be replaced within an appropriate dental restoration. The urgency for doing so depends on how well the patient can maintain hygiene at the affected site, and the health status of the tooth and periodontal tissues.

Recontouring of the restoration is done with specialized profiling instruments, and should be done only if it is possible to clinically verify that a gap between the filling and the tooth hasn't been created, and that the problem with the restoration has been solved.

If the restoration is to be replaced, it may or may not be replaceable by another restoration of the same kind. Sometimes additional problems are identified when the existing restoration is removed that can change the treatment plan from one type (e.g. filling) to another (e.g. crown).

Photographs and X-ray images are useful in diagnosing the condition, and in communicating the apparent size of the problem and urgency for treatment to the patient.

More information on dental procedures

Crowns
Dental procedure image: Crowns
A crown is a type of tooth restoration that covers all or a substantial portion of a badly broken down or decayed tooth...
Fillings & core buildups
Dental procedure image: Fillings and core buildups
Fillings are among the most frequently prescribed and versatile methods of restoring damaged or decayed teeth to proper appearance and function...
Inlays
Dental procedure image: Inlays
Inlays are "indirectly fabricated" dental restorations for the repair of chipped or decayed teeth...
Onlays
Dental procedure image: Onlays
An onlay is a type of cusp-covering dental restoration that is made in a laboratory or by a computer controlled milling machine from either ceramic, composite resin, gold, titanium or other metals...
Photographs
Dental procedure image: Photographs
Diagnostic photographs can clearly illustrate the need for treatment that may not be obvious to a patient. They can also rule out the need for treatment...
Radiographs
Dental procedure image: Radiographs (X-rays)
Radiographs, ("X-rays") are used by dental health professionals to evaluate hard tissue (teeth and bones) for signs of disease process or abnormalities...