Have you ever felt your back teeth with your tongue?  They’re kind of lumpy.  And between each of these lumps are grooves.  These grooves, called “developmental grooves,” can be shallow but are often deep in lots many teeth.  By deep I mean, uncleanable with your tooth brush.  People with deep grooves are at greater risk for cavities by no fault of their own. Even worse, these deep grooves are areas of the tooth that haven’t completely formed, which communicate with the deeper, softer parts of the tooth. They can become like giant highways for acid producing bacteria!

So what can you do?  I often recommend a restoration that I like to call a “groovectomy.”  We “remove the groove” in an effort to reduce the patient’s risk for cavities.

I was taught in dental school that grooves sometimes hold stain but don’t always need to be treated.  Experience has made me more skeptical.  This stained groove was “talking to me.”  Suspicious groove
Do you have deep grooves or shallow grooves?  Make an appointment to see us and we’ll let you know!