How "Dangerous" is It to Have my Overlarge 2 Front Teeth Filed Down?

Most teeth have 1.5 millimeters of enamel over the underlying layer, dentin.  This is the layer that may have some nerve sensitivity. When we adjust to recontour teeth, we may reduce .5 millimeters at most. Usually microns.  Not a big deal.

You would certainly be fine having your dentist shorten your front teeth, but it is hard to tell you exactly how much without a picture or exam.  Each individuals enamel and bite is different and these both determine how much enamel can be removed safely.  Find a local dentist and have them discuss your options with you.  Good luck. 

Without seeing a photo, it's hard to give you advice on your exact situation but in general, I never recommend that patients just file down teeth (especially front teeth). The reason being is that most people think that their front teeth should be all the same length, however, in an ideal/esthetic smile, the front 2 central incisors are usually 1mm longer than the 2 lateral incisors next to them. The reason for this is the teeth are meant to fit in the frame of the smile, and our lower lip, when smiling, is a curve. So, to fit in the curve of the lower lip, the teeth are slightly different lengths.

Filing teeth down (enamalplasty or odontoplasty) is cheap.  Couple of hundred dollars at most.  Everyone is different.  Just because your sister had hers done, doesn't mean you'l get the same results.  Her pain tolerance is different from yours.  Post a picture for more definitive responses.

Hello, We commonly recontour teeth as needed for aesthetic purposes but stay within the 1 mm range. Without photos and xrays it is difficult to assess.Orthodontics with Invisalign is also another option. Good luck!

Hi:
Unfortunately without photo and X-ray it is difficult to give you accurate advice.  Please post photo and X-ray of the affected area.
Best,
Dr. Maddahi

Thanks Lynn for your great question. We do file teeth down from time to time for many reasons. I would not recommend to file them done more then 0.5  mm unless something permanent  is being planed to  place over them. 0.5mm is considered safe and predictable assuming there is no wear of the teeth in the first place. 

Teeth can appear large if they are either misplaced or the teeth next to them are small or placed higher.The dentist should suggest orthodontics if necessary but many times the adjacent smaller teeth can be built up or the large teeth reduced by up to 1mm in length. Crowded or rotated teeth should be moved and Invisalign is a great technique to use.Cutting down too much can cause nerve damage and a root canal treatment required.

Hello!  How much is "too much" is a clinical judgement call of the doc doing it.  There are several layers of the tooth structure - enamel and dentin.   Technically, as long the adjustment stays in the enamel you will have no sensitivity.  Enamel contouring is one the easiest / fastest / best treatments in cosmetic dentistry for obtaining esthetic changes.   I recommend doing it if you are unhappy with your teeth shape / proportion!

This is not dangerous at all.  Reshaping teeth is a common cosmetic dental procedure that has been done for decades.  It's called "enameloplasty" or "cosmetic enamel recontouring".  It is generally so safe and comfortable to do that it can be done without any local anesthetic (novocaine).  If the tooth is sensitive afterwards, several of the tooth desensitizer treatment can be used, like the ones for people with cold sensitive teeth, or for those who have temporarily sensitive teeth after bleaching.

What we typically do is discuss with patient ahead of time where and how much to smooth off.  Then we use a sharpie marking pen to mark the teeth where we plan on doing the enameloplasty.  When we get agreement, we start, either by using small sand paper disks or polishing diamonds.  If the patient gets sensitive at any time, we stop the procedure. 

One of my front teeth was longer than the other.  "Once upon a time" (ha, ha, I did this a long time ago) at the end of the day I took out my dental drill and shortened my tooth myself using a dental drill and a hand mirror to see how I was  doing. 

However, all my comments refer to enamel reshaping of a mild to moderate nature.  If you end up needing adjustment through and below the outside enamel layer, then I would not advise unless you are then going to cover that layer with composite bonding, porcelain veneer or porcelain crown.