Dental bonding provides both cosmetic and health benefits to imperfections and damage to the teeth. This procedure uses a tooth-colored resin material which is applied to the tooth and hardened with a special light that bonds the material to the tooth. Dental bonding can fix cracked, broken, chipped or discolored teeth. In addition, dental bonding can also straighten misaligned teeth to provide a more aesthetically pleasing smile.
How Dental Bonding Is Administered
The dentist performing the dental bonding procedure will select a resin color that will match the tooth as closely as possible. If necessary, a local anesthetic will be used to prevent any pain or discomfort.
The surface of the tooth is then scraped and roughened with a drill to allow the bonding material to stick snugly to the tooth. A liquid is first applied to condition the tooth, after which the bonding resin material is applied. This putty-like resin material is molded and smoothed to the required shape to match the rest of the teeth.
Once the bonding material has been placed and molded into shape, an ultraviolet light is used to allow the material to harden. Once the bonding material has hardened appropriately, further shaping of the tooth is done, followed by polishing. This process should take no longer than an hour to complete.
Health Benefits of Dental Bonding
Dental bonding is performed to fix a variety of health problems, which include:
- Repairing decayed teeth
- Providing an alternative to amalgam fillings
- Covering an exposed tooth root from gum recession
Having exposed roots or receeding gums can affect a person's overall health if it is not dealt with within a certain amount of time. Dental bonding can help fix these problems before they affect the overall health of an individual.
Cosmetic Benefits of Dental Bonding
In addition to the health benefits of dental bonding, this procedure can also have cosmetic benefits as well:
- Making teeth appear longer
- Closing space between teeth
- Repairing broken or chipped teeth
- Changing the shape of misshaped teeth
- Providing uniform-colored teeth
- Improving discolored teeth
Dental bonding is one of the easiest and least expensive cosmetic dental procedures. It is rather non-invasive, and requires little preparation. Dental crowns and veneers generally have to be prepared in a laboratory, which can take up to two or three weeks to complete. Dental bonding, on the other hand, is performed in one visit as the resin is formed directly on the tooth. Dental bonding is much less expensive than dental crowns and veneers.
The amount of tooth enamel that must be removed with dental bonding is much less than that removed with dental crowns and veneers. The tooth surface is simply roughened up a bit in order to allow the bonding resin to stick properly. With dental crowns, the tooth is shaved down to a fraction of the original size of the tooth before a crown or veneer is placed in position.
Dental bonding is a good choice if the tooth problems are small and minor. The lifespan of dental bonding depends on how invasive the procedure was, and a person's lifestyle. Trauma to the mouth can result in the bonding materials cracking. In general, dental bonding should last about 10 years if proper care is taken.
