lnterproximal reduction (IPR), also known as “tooth stripping” or “interdental reduction,” is the removal of small amounts of outer enamel tooth surface between two adjacent teeth. Tooth stripping is a technique that involves the interproximal reduction of tooth enamel, for example when an orthodontist needs to gain space between the teeth and does so by reducing their width. The width of a tooth can be reduced between 0.2 and 0.5 millimetres for spacing.
When is it recommended:
This treatment is most common in patients who have crowding problems, with discrepancies in tooth size and tooth length or who need to create space for orthodontic treatment such as braces, and more recently, Invisalign or other types of invisible aligners. These gaps are the result of teeth with a triangular shape or a loss of dental pulp. In these cases, tooth stripping can eliminate the point of contact and give the teeth a more quadrangular shape in which the edges become parallel. Other applications of tooth shaping are tooth size and tooth length discrepancies, overjet correction and tilted incisors. It is important to bear in mind that this treatment is only suitable where the required reduction is minimal, creating no more than 8 mm of additional space, and should only be performed on real teeth. The process should not take more than a few minutes. To keep the tooth healthy it is vital that the dentist never scrapes beyond the thickness of its enamel covering, and we also know that in the back teeth removal of around 0.6mm or more is possible, 0.3mm more than the front teeth.
How it Works:
Depending on the enamel reduction required and the dentist’s personal preferences, some stripping methods may be more suitable than others.A manual and simple method is one where the dentist uses polishing strips. In this case, the diamond-coated abrasive strips are used in a sawing motion from one side of the teeth to the other. This is particularly useful when only a small amount of enamel needs to be reduced. Combining polishing strips with other techniques is also possible if more space needs to be created.
On the other hand, there are stripping saws or stripping discs, an optimal mechanical procedure when more space needs to be gained. Either a counter-angle oscillation with small saws or a conventional counter-angle with a diamond disc is used. When using these instruments, which are more powerful than manual stripping, care must be taken not to remove too much tooth enamel. The spaces created can be seen on the teeth, however, they are barely visible to the naked eye as they are very small. In any case, these spaces should soon be closed by orthodontic alignment treatments.
Instrument for Tooth Stripping
Proxostrip Diamond Polishing Strip Set
When it comes to tooth stripping, the most suitable polishing strips are diamond strips, which is why we recommend the Proxostrip Diamond Strip Set. This set consists of 6 single-sided diamond metal strips with two working surfaces. Its perforated ends provide a easy and ergonomic grip, perfect for stripping work.
Featues of Diamond Polishing Strip Set
- Diamond strip
- Length: 80 mm
- Height: 2,5 mm
- Thickness: 0.05 mm
- Sterilisable and reusable
- 2 working surfaces with granulometry: 40μm and 15µm
Interprox Stripping Discs 8934A
If you are looking for a different way to perform tooth stripping, at Dentaltix we also offer disc-shaped lab burs. For tooth stripping we recommend Interpro Stripping Discs.
Features of Oscillating Segmented Disc
- Komet oscillating segmented stripping disc
- Use protector
- Recommended for use with 303 chuck
- 30000 Min-1 /rpm
