Dental Bonding

Dental bonding is a fast, affordable, and relatively non-invasive procedure that can subtly change the appearance of your smile if you have small chips or cracks in your teeth or other minor imperfections. Our dentists can closely mimic your natural tooth color using the latest composite resin materials and a huge range of shades.

What is Dental Bonding?

This treatment is also called teeth bonding and uses tooth-colored composite resin to mend or hide small faults or damage affecting a tooth’s appearance. The material can also change a tooth’s overall shape, size, and appearance.

When to Choose Dental Bonding?

Dental bonding is a good treatment if you have teeth that are perhaps slightly chipped or worn or not quite the perfect shape. This treatment can also be used to change the size of teeth, which might be useful if you have a slight gap between teeth that you would prefer to close entirely or at least to reduce in size. When dental bonding is applied to the entire front tooth, this can change the overall color and may be useful if you have one or two teeth that are severely stained. Because the composite resin is applied directly to your tooth surfaces, treatment can usually be completed in just a single visit.

Dental Bonding with Enamel Recontouring

Sometimes dental bonding is used in conjunction with another treatment called enamel recontouring. This is where a tiny amount of tooth enamel is removed to carefully reshape the tooth, giving it a nicer and more attractive appearance. It’s a technique that can be very useful if you have a tooth that is perhaps slightly protrusive or is overlapping another; the procedure is equally as quick as dental bonding and is usually completed during a single visit to your dental office.

Dental Bonding for Tooth Discoloration

Another time to consider dental bonding is if you are considering whitening your teeth but have one or two teeth that will not respond to a conventional tooth whitening treatment. If a tooth is internally stained or has severe discoloration, it can be better to cover it entirely. While one solution is to use a porcelain veneer, dental bonding can be quicker and cheaper.

Why Composite Resin Is Amazing

There’s been a significant amount of study into the way teeth react when we bite or chew foods as they flex slightly whenever they come under pressure. The most modern dental materials will replicate this reaction, creating a restoration that is what’s called biomimetic, meaning it mimics nature. The newest composite resin materials will fuse strongly with the tooth while matching the way it reacts under pressure and when exposed to hot and cold. By closely replicating the reaction of a natural tooth, the composite resin helps to stabilize and strengthen the tooth while ensuring the outcome looks just like a real tooth.

Composite resin is a fantastic material because it bonds so strongly to dentin. Tooth dentin is the part of the tooth that lies just underneath tooth enamel and which contains the natural color of the tooth. Over the past few years, dentists have learned how to specially prepare the tooth surface before sealing it, creating a surface area that has a strong mechanical bond with the composite resin. It’s a technique that prevents the composite resin from shrinking when it’s added onto the tooth and which ensures the actual tooth feels comfortable and is fully protected against infection and decay.

What Is the Procedure for Dental Bonding?

Initially, your dentist will need to evaluate your teeth to see if this treatment is suitable and will discuss how many teeth to bond. Some people will only need one or two teeth bonding, while others may want several teeth bonded. Your dentist will also discuss if you will benefit from any other treatments at the same time, such as enamel recontouring or teeth whitening. It’s important to speak up if you are considering teeth whitening because this will need to be completed beforehand so the bonding material can be matched to your newly whitened teeth.

Once you have your treatment plan, your dentist can prepare your teeth for bonding.

Caring for Bonded Teeth

Maintenance and Longevity

Composite resin material is quite strong, but you do need to look after it carefully. Caring for it correctly will help prolong its natural life, and you need to be prepared to replace these kinds of restorations after a few years. Although dental bonding is durable, you will chip or crack bonded areas if you use your teeth as tools or try to bite down on very hard nuts. If an action could damage your natural teeth, it will almost certainly damage composite resin too and is best avoided.

Avoiding Stains

Also, composite resin can become stained after a few years of use. It is unavoidable, but you can slow the rate of staining by avoiding highly colored foods or by rinsing your mouth thoroughly with plain water after eating them. It can be worth consuming highly colored beverages through a straw to minimize contact with your teeth.

Oral Hygiene

Bonded teeth can be brushed and flossed normally, and it’s critical to make sure you brush your teeth at least twice daily and floss once-a-day. Don’t forget to see your dentist regularly for checkups and cleanings. These preventative dental care visits are essential so your dentist can check the condition of your restorations regularly and can let you know when you need to think about replacing them. Regular dental cleanings remove plaque and tartar from teeth and are excellent for refreshing your smile.

Dental bonding is a fantastic treatment if you are looking to make a minor change to your smile but don’t want to undergo substantial treatment. It’s a procedure that will subtly refresh your appearance, giving you a mini smile makeover. The composite resin used in dental bonding is also used to fill cavities in back teeth. These days, if you have a cavity, it’s more likely your dentist will suggest filling it with tooth-colored composite resin rather than old-fashioned amalgam. If you still have some amalgam fillings, replacing these with composite resin can also be a good way to brighten your smile.

If you’re interested in learning more about dental bonding or other methods to enhance your smile without extensive dental procedures, or if you’d like to book an appointment for minor cosmetic enhancements at Hutchinson Metro Dental in the Bronx, we invite you to get in touch with us.