Dental bonding is a method used to restore or improve a person’s smile.
What features of a smile can dental bonding fix?
One of the methods used in restoring and/or improving a person’s smile is dental bonding. There are several features that dental bonding can fix.
The following are some of the things that dental bonding can do:
- Bring decayed teeth back to their normal health
- Fix teeth that are cracked or chipped
- Remove the stains on discolored teeth
- Reduce the gaps that exist between some teeth.
- Change teeth’s shapes
- Replace silver fillings with a better looking cosmetic alternative
- Protecting the exposed portion of the teeth when the gums move toward the tooth’s root.
How is a tooth bonded?
- Compared to other dental procedures, dental bonding does not require much preparation. In fact, some things like anesthesia are not needed. Anesthesia is only necessary when filling a decayed tooth.
- The second step is the bonding itself. A composite resin will be selected by your dentist using a shade guide. This shade guide is normally a durable plastic material that has a color similar to that of your teeth. It usually starts by the roughening of the tooth’s surface, after which a conditioning liquid is applied. The importance of this is to help the bonding substances to stick to the tooth. After this, a special light is used to harden the resin. Lastly, the dentist will trim, shape and finally polish the material that has been bonded to the teeth. The main point of this is to make sure that gloss of the bonded material matches that of the other teeth.
- The completion of this procedure will take anywhere between half an hour to a whole hour.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of dental bonding?
Advantages
Of all dental procedures, dental bonding is one of the least costliest and easiest of them all. The other types of tooth coverings are crowns and veneers. The main difference is that crowns and veneers have to be done in a lab. You will have to pay your doctor another visit so that you can have these coverings put on your teeth. Dental bonding usually requires only one dental visit. The other advantage of bonding is that less enamel is removed compared to the amount that is removed in the case of crowns and veneers. Also, in crowns and veneers, anesthesia is required while it is not required in dental bonding.
Disadvantages
Compared to the material used in making dental crowns, the material used in dental bonding is not very resistant to stains. Also, the fact that bonding materials have a shorter life span as compared to fillings, veneers and crowns is another disadvantage. Yet another disadvantage is that bonding materials can easily chip off the tooth, if not break it altogether.
Another disadvantage of dental bonding is that many dentists view it only as a temporary solution to cosmetic changes. For permanent changes, other options such as fillings and crowns are preferred. Bonding also works best in the teeth that require low pressure such as the front teeth and not the molars or premolars.
Do bonded teeth need special care?
Bonded teeth do not require any special dental care. Maintenance of the ordinary oral hygiene procedures is all that is required. This means brushing your teeth at least twice a day, flossing on a daily basis and regular visits to the dentist for check ups.
Due to the fact that bonding material can easily chip, you should avoid some activities like biting your nails, chewing on hard things like hard food, ice and pens. Also, it is advised to immediately contact your dentist when you spot any sharp edges on your bonded teeth.
How long does bonding material last?
The life of your bonded teeth depends on the severity of the bonding itself as well as your oral habits. On average, however, bonded material lasts between 3 to 10 years. After this period, it will need to be touched up or replaced altogether.
