Every dental restoration is meant to look exactly like a natural tooth. This includes replicating the tooth's color, shape, and even texture.
Although the current dental restoration materials provide outstanding results, they still require polishment to achieve the desired result.
Fortunately, the dentist can use polishing burs to smooth the restoration surface and make it look as shiny as the natural tooth.
Dental polishing burs are special appliances designed to polish dental composite, amalgam, and ceramic restorations.
They are mildly abrasive to smooth any surface without cutting or wearing too much of the restoration material.
Dental polishing burs come in different shapes to polish every tooth surface efficiently. Therefore, they can burnish even the palatal and lingual aspects of the anterior teeth.
These burs are usually designed to be used in combination with polishing paste. However, some high-quality burs can polish the restoration perfectly without any paste.
Furthermore, dental polishing burs are designed with different abrasion levels. The dentist can begin polishing the restoration with a highly abrasive bur to smooth rough surfaces and switch to a less abrasive one.
It is essential to understand that most polishing burs are meant to be used on the micromotor handpiece. Therefore, if it doesn't have a refrigeration system, the dentist must be careful to avoid overheating the tooth.