Dental Bonding
Dental bonding enhances the appearance of your smile by repairing an affected tooth or teeth.
It involves the application of a tooth-coloured resin material using adhesives on the affected teeth to conceal or repair damage.
The Advantages of Dental Bonding
Dental bonding is among the easiest and least expensive cosmetic dental procedures. It can conceal minor cosmetic imperfections that affect your self-esteem.
Dental bonding can be used for:
- Masking minor cracks and chips on teeth caused by natural wear or trauma.
- Masking minor discolouration of teeth (yellowed or stained teeth) that do not respond to regular whitening treatment.
- Masking minor misalignment or irregularly shaped teeth.
- Closing gaps in between teeth.
- Protecting the exposed roots of teeth.
Limitations
Dental bonding is not as strong as other alternatives and is recommended for minor imperfections where there is not much biting force such as the front teeth.
Depending on how much bonding is required and how well a patient manages their teeth care, a dental bonding can last anywhere from 3 to 10 years.
The Dental Bonding Procedure at Castlemaine Smiles
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Evaluation
As with all dental procedures it is vital that a detailed examination of the teeth and a full discussion regarding treatment options is performed.
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Planning
For simple cases minimal further planning is needed, however, in more complex situations detailed mock ups will be made so that the final result can be approved before any treatment is started.
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Bonding
Sometimes the tooth shape will need to be adjusted slightly to increase bond strength and enhance the final cosmetic affect. Your dentist will roughen the surface area of the affected tooth before applying bonding liquid. This ensures that the resin will stick properly to the tooth. The tooth-coloured resin is then applied, shaped, and smoothed into the desired form. A special high intensity light is used to harden the bonded resin to the tooth
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Finishing
After this, your dentist will trim and refine the bonded material to make sure that it has the natural shape and shine of your biological tooth. Your dentist will ask a series of questions to make sure that you are comfortable with the newly bonded resin.
Alternatives
A stronger and more long lasting and colour stable alternative to dental bonding is the use of porcelain veneers.
When should you chose veneers over dental bonding?
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Cost
Veneers are made from porcelain and will cost more than the material used for bonding teeth. Since Veneers generally last more than twice as long as dental bonding, they can save you money over time. If you want to cover stains that are not helped by professional teeth whitening, veneers are often the chosen solution. Dental bonding will work better to repair chips or gaps.
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Appearance
Both veneers and bonding are made to blend in with the colour of your surrounding teeth. Veneers, however, are stain-resistant unlike the bonding resin which may darken over time.
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Durability
Dental veneers are made for longevity, lasting 10 to 25 years. While they are not invincible, porcelain is more durable than the dental bonding resin. Again, depending on what your teeth need, bonding is still a strong material that can be used for repairing teeth.
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Goals
Depending on the correction you want to make; a combination of dental bonding and veneers may be the best option. If you are looking for whiter teeth, try professional teeth whitening first. If you are not satisfied with the results, veneers may be the next best option for you.
