Dental Bonding: What is It? What Problems Does it Fix?
Embarrassed by your smile? Do you avoid looking others directly in the eye for fear they will notice? You’re not alone. What your dentist may consider a small imperfection may be a big flaw in your eyes that keeps you from participating fully in life. If this is true for you, then you may be interested in a dental procedure known as ‘bonding.’
Dental bonding is a conservative and very effective way to enhance your smile with an easy treatment that requires little, if any, advanced preparation and usually no enamel reduction Dental bonding uses a composite resin filling that reduces or eliminates natural flaws in your teeth, such as:
• Small gaps between front teeth
• Chipped teeth
• Cracked teeth
• Discolored teeth
• Uneven teeth
• Gum recession
• Tooth decay
There are several steps to the bonding process:
1) Your dentist applies a thin adhesive coating to the tooth
2) Your dentist applies the bonding material
3) The bonding material is molded, tinted and reshaped
4) A high-intensity light hardens the bonding material
5) The tooth’s new surface is finely polished
Bonding offers a natural, aesthetically pleasing result where your dentist’s artistic abilities can really shine through. As each bonded tooth is molded to create a custom tooth shape, you become one step closer to a harmonious smile that matches your unique personality
There are two types of bonding:
Minor Corrections
For correcting small fillings and fillings in front teeth, bonding is a good solution that can generally be completed in one dental visit. Color matching to your natural tooth provides a nice result and the bonding adds strength to a weakened tooth.
Major Corrections
For greater durability and strength, such as needed by a large filling, tooth colored fillings can be created at the dental lab. First, a mold is made of your teeth and you’ll receive a temporary filling. The dental laboratory creates a very durable, custom-fitted filling made of porcelain, then bonded to your tooth on your second visit.
Both types of bonding offer natural-looking, durable and stain-resistant results.
About the Author:
The dental experts at Rochester Advanced Dentistry want to help. Their cutting edge techniques include a one-visit bonding process that requires no waiting for restorations to come back from the dental lab. Please visit www.RochesterAdvancedDentistry.com today!