Interproximal reduction (IPR)

Interproximal reduction as the AAO glossary and FAQ put it

Interproximal reduction is defined in the Glossary of Orthodontic Terms of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) as the “Removal of a small amount of enamel from between the teeth to reduce their width.” The AAO’s FAQ gives the reason an orthodontist would narrow teeth at all: the goal, it says, is more room for the teeth, gained by removing some of the enamel, the tooth’s outer surface.

The other names for interproximal reduction

Interproximal reduction goes by several other names, and the AAO’s glossary lists them in the same entry: “Also known as reproximation, slenderizing, stripping, polishing, enamel reduction or selective reduction.” The AAO’s FAQ says the procedure goes by many names and puts enamel stripping first in its list, which makes enamel stripping the everyday name. IPR is the abbreviation, written beside the full name on Align Technology’s patient page about treatable cases.

Interproximal reduction in a treatment plan

Interproximal reduction comes up when a treatment plan needs more room for the teeth, and it can come up in clear aligner treatment: Align’s page says “Treatment may involve attachments, elastics, interproximal reduction (IPR)”. The word may is Align’s own, and whether a plan uses interproximal reduction, and on which teeth, is the orthodontist’s call at a consultation.

The page about clear aligner treatment sets out how a series of aligners moves teeth, and attachments and refinements, which also come up with aligners, have entries in the glossary.