You see someone who may have had a bit of a wonky smile before – a chipped tooth, a stained tooth, a misshapen tooth. Suddenly, their smile is perfect, flawless. How did that happen seemingly overnight? There are plenty of cosmetic dentistry treatments that can get the job done, but there is only one that can do it quickly and easily – dental bonding. If you have a few small cosmetic complaints about your teeth, bonding may be all you need to transform your smile.
Problems Fixed by Dental Bonding
Dental bonding fixes and conceals. If your tooth is broken, chipped, cracked, decayed, discolored, gapped, jagged, misaligned, misshapen, or otherwise, this procedure could be an option. Of course, the viability of bonding as a solution will depend on the severity of your problem.
A large area of tooth decay may demand a more aggressive repair, like porcelain crown. Multiple stained and discolored teeth may be better served with porcelain veneers. But if you have a small, irritating dental problem that you wish could go away quickly, bonding could be your answer.
The Dental Bonding Procedure
This treatment involves the use of tooth-colored resin which is color matched to your enamel so the repair always blends in. After the problem tooth has been sanded and conditioned, the resin is painted on, covering the area in question. Resin is a putty-like substance and it’s brushed over the tooth in coats to build up the tooth structure.
The next step is the actual bonding part, when a special light is used to harden the resin and bond it permanently in place. From there, it’s all cosmetic – contouring the tooth carefully so its size and shape make the rest of your natural teeth, then polishing the repair until it is smooth, shiny, and natural looking.
The Benefits of Dental Bonding
Patients love dental bonding because it is an easy and quick fix – the treatment itself takes only about 30 minutes per tooth to complete. Two of the biggest benefits of this procedure though, is that it is affordable and non-invasive. Unless your dentist is dealing with a cavity that needs to be drilled away, there is typically no need for numbing agents or sedation to get a patient through this procedure.
If you have long been bothered by a cosmetic issue with one or more of your teeth but have dragged your feet about getting it fixed because you wanted to avoid a porcelain crown or veneers, it’s time to talk about dental bonding. Because it is not invasive, because it is fast and neat, dental bonding is affordable – and cost is often the biggest factor for many people who worry about dental work.
Prevent Problems with Dental Bonding
Remember, cosmetic issues – like a cracked or chipped tooth – may only seem like surface issues, but they can eventually lead to bigger dental problems. Dental bonding not only corrects them on the surface, they prevent larger issues from developing. Talk to your Hampton dentist at Smiles by the Sea to find out if dental bonding is a smile solution for you. Contact us to schedule an appointment.