Open contact
Appearance
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An open contact is a term used in dentistry to describe the space between adjacent teeth when the teeth are neither touching nor a sufficient distance from each other to potentially allow the space to naturally remain free of debris.
Open contacts can exist naturally, such as when teeth erupt into a nonideal occlusion or when they shift as a result of tooth loss. They are also frequently produced as a result of inadequately contoured dental restorations.[1]
An open contact may lead to a phenomenon termed food packing/food impaction, which can be a cause of pain.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Section 51 - Restorative Contours Archived December 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Scully C (2013). Oral and maxillofacial medicine : the basis of diagnosis and treatment (3rd ed.). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier. pp. 125–135. ISBN 978-0-7020-4948-4.125-135&rft.edition=3rd&rft.pub=Churchill+Livingstone/Elsevier&rft.date=2013&rft.isbn=978-0-7020-4948-4&rft.au=Scully+C&rft_id=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3WyAFrXVfIC&q=oral+and+maxillofacial+medicine&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Open+contact" class="Z3988">