Losing on good night sleep by worrying about a broken or chipped tooth? Are you unhappy with imperfections in your teeth or the way they’re positioned? Not feeling confident due to diastema or gaps between teeth? Dental bonding can help you regain a beautiful smile in less than sixty minutes.
On top of that, it is affordable, painless and a quick procedure. Dental bonding can give you the confidence to flash those pearly whites.
When it comes to cosmetic dentistry, you have options to choose from teeth bonding, dental veneers and crowns.
How do you pick the right procedure? Which one will work for you?
Here in this blog, we talk about teeth bonding in detail – what is it all about, how it works, and most importantly if it’s right for you.
What is Dental Bonding?
Teeth bonding is the process of applying composite resin to a tooth to repair chipped or damaged teeth or restore appearance. The term bonding is used in dentistry means permanently attaching dental materials to your teeth.
Dentists use dental adhesives and a high intensity light to attach the material. As the name implies, your dentist will apply the resin directly to your until it dries out. To ensure that the resin solidifies, he will use ultraviolet light to bond the cosmetic material with your enamel.
There are two types of bonding, namely direct composite bonding and adhesive bonding.
Direct Composite Bonding
Dentists often use tooth colored resin (white or natural-looking materials). These are used for filling cavities, repairing cracks or chips.
Your dentist will use it to close the gaps between your teeth. He will also use the composite to build up the worn-down edges of your teeth quite like a dental filling.
Direct composite bonding is the best option if you are looking for small, minimally invasive smile makeovers. The composite materials can be directly applied and sculpted to your teeth surfaces.
It is an ideal procedure if you have chipped teeth and gaps between your teeth. It is also used as a solution for teeth staining, discoloration and slight crookedness.
The direct composite bonding procedure involves the exact placement of restorative material.
Your dentist will complete the procedure in one dental visit. But, if you have any complications you might need more visits.
Direct composite bonding requires minimal preparations. The procedure does not involve any mould-taking or other preparations.
Your dentist might use putty stents based on your teeth impression and model of the desired smile. This acts as a guide when placing the composite and helps ensure a satisfactory result.
Dental Bonding Procedure
Preparation – Teeth bonding requires little advance preparation. Anesthesia is not necessary unless the bonding is being used to fill a decayed tooth.
In such a scenario, the tooth needs to be drilled so as to change its shape. Your dentist will select a composite resin color closely matching the color of your tooth using a shade guide.
Bonding process – Dentists apply a conditioning liquid after roughening the surface of your tooth. This helps the bonding material to bond easily with the tooth. The tooth-colored, putty-like resin is applied, moulded, and smoothed to the desired shape.
The material is hardened with a bright blue laser. Post hardening of the material, your dentist will trim and shape it. Once trimmed and shaped then polish it to match the sheen of the rest of the tooth surface.
The complete bonding process takes about 30 to 60 minutes per tooth to complete. The procedure is best suited for small cosmetic changes and short-term correction of cosmetic problems.
You should consult your dentists to understand the best cosmetic approach for you.
Post process, your dentist would apply a gentle phosphoric acid solution to the surface of your teeth.
Acid etching of the tooth surface strengthens the bond of both the composite and the adhesive. After 15 seconds, the phosphoric acid is removed, and a liquid bonding agent is applied.
Benefits of Dental Bonding
1 More affordable
Teeth bonding costs are quite affordable compared to other dental cosmetic and treatment options. The cost will mostly depend on the number of teeth that needs to undergo the procedure.
As it is an easy and simple treatment, it does not require several dental visits. This will help you save more time and money and hence money.
2 Takes one sitting
It is true that bonding costs are more affordable. In fact it is the easiest and least expensive procedure. The procedure is completely safe and painless. Your dentist will only apply a chemical compound that will roughen your tooth. This will make the gum bonding material adhere better to it.
Your dentist will soon apply the bonding resin in layers. The amount of resin used will depend on the required thickness to treat your tooth. Your cosmetic dentist will carefully shape the resin while it is still soft. And then harden it using UV light.
3 Hides tooth imperfections
Teeth bonding is used to solve a multitude of dental imperfections. It can also hide minor chips and cracks caused due to injuries or accidents.
You may also use it to whiten stains caused by eating certain foods items as well as smoking. You may also use it to reshape your tooth’s structure to achieve a more angular shape of the tooth.
4 A better alternative to amalgam fillings
The bonding procedure uses a composite resin that not only adds durability but also strengthens your weakened tooth. The composite resin blends well with your natural teeth, unlike silver amalgam fillings.
Silver amalgam has a distinct color making it noticeable when applied to your tooth. Hence people prefer teeth bonding over dental feelings as they are clearly noticeable when applied to your tooth.
Bonded Tooth – Aftercare
Your composite resin is as strong as your natural teeth and enamel. But you need to follow your dentist’s recommendations for proper oral hygiene. You should also avoid habits that could damage your restorations.
Brushing at least twice a day and flossing once a day is a must. Schedule regular visits to your dentist for routine examinations and cleanings.
You should consciously refrain from habits such as chewing on pens and biting your fingernails. The composite bonding material is prone to chipping if you bite hard substances.
Your dentist might also ask you to visit the dental clinic if you notice any sharp edges on your bonded tooth. Otherwise, your bonded teeth do not need special care. Simply follow good oral hygiene practices.
It is important to note that resin will not resist long-term stains like your original enamel. Hence you are more likely to experience long-term discoloration if you continue drinking coffee and red wine or if you smoke often.
Dental Bonding – Is There Any Risk Involved?
Bonding is a safe and simple outpatient procedure with no adverse risks involved. As the name suggests, the resin material is applied to your tooth and is dried into place. A special UV light is used to bond the cosmetic material with your natural enamel.
Teeth bonding is among the easiest, fastest and least expensive cosmetic dental procedures. Unlike crowns and veneers, which are customized tooth coverings that are manufactured in a lab. Teeth bonding can be done in one clinical visit unless several teeth are involved.
It is a low-risk procedure compared to crowns or veneers – the least amount of tooth enamel is removed. Moreover, anesthesia is usually not required when bonding a tooth.
Most dentists view teeth bonding as the low-risk, best-suited procedure for small cosmetic changes. They are also good for the short-term correction of cosmetic problems.
Dentists also use it for correcting teeth in areas of very low bite pressure like front teeth. Discuss with your dentist the best cosmetic approach for your dental problem.
Lifespan of Dental Bonding
The lifespan of bonding materials used depends on how much bonding was done and your individual oral habits.
Remember, bonded teeth do not have the same strength as your natural teeth. Some eating and chewing habits can shorten their lifespan.
If you tend to bite down hard, you may have chances of breaking the bonding material off your teeth. Also, if you tend to take too many dark beverages, your bonding material will stain faster, and they will need replacement sooner.
Typically, your bonding material will last for three to ten years before they need to be touched up or replaced.
Are You Ready for that Perfect Smile?
No doubt our teeth are incredibly strong, but they are not indestructible. Teeth bonding is a good way of fixing cracks and gaps between your teeth. It’s long-lasting, painless, and you can get it done in just one appointment.
The process is optimum for healthy teeth that have suffered minor damage or trauma. You can also get your teeth color changed with bonding. Talk to your dentist about teeth whitening in case you are interested in the procedure.
Bonding is one of the cheapest and fastest among cosmetic treatments. But preferably, it should only be used for minor issues. It is not long-lasting as its counterparts like crowns and veneers.
Whether bonding is right solely depends on the extent of the procedure required. It also depends on your tolerance to anesthesia and your dentist’s recommendations.
Are you ready to perfect your smile? So what are you waiting for? Get in touch with REPC Dubai to learn more about our cosmetic dentistry services in Dubai!
