What is Tooth Bonding?
Let’s start by answering the main question, what is dental bonding? Tooth bonding, also known as dental bonding, is an oral procedure performed by a dentist to restore damaged teeth. Sometimes, tooth bonding is used to improve the appearance of teeth as well. If you ever look at dental bonding before and after pictures, you’ll understand why it’s popular!
As part of the procedure, tooth-colored resin will be applied on the damaged tooth. Then, dental light that reacts to this resin is directed at the resin, which then hardens and bonds to the tooth.
When To Get Tooth Bonding?
There are multiple scenarios where a tooth bonding procedure may be recommended by a dentist. Here are some of the more common ones:
- Repair of teeth that have decayed
- Repair of teeth that are either cracked or chipped
- Fixing teeth that have become discolored and hence look ugly
- Fixing a set of teeth that have developed wide gap between them
- Extending the length of teeth that are too short and cause trouble while chewing food
- Modifying the natural shape of teeth
- As an alternative to other dental solutions such as fillings
- As a way of protecting parts of the mouth that have exposed gums
Tooth Bonding Procedure
Tooth bonding is a fairly simple but occasionally lengthy procedure, so let’s take a look at the steps involved:
- Before the Procedure – Tooth bonding does not involve any surgical equipment. In simple words, the entire procedure could be pictured as a simple exercise that involves filling a hole in a tooth.
- Selecting Resin Color – The next step will be to pick the resin color. Different people have different colored teeth, and the dentist will select the color after some intensive matching, to ensure that your teeth look natural after the bonding procedure is complete.
- Bonding – Once the resin is chosen, the next step is the actual bonding activity. The tooth that is being subjected to the procedure will be roughened up. Then, a conditioning liquid will be applied on it. These two activities will ensure that the resin will stick to the teeth.
Further, the tooth bonding procedure is the same irrespective of the individual. The only time it becomes complicated is when a number of teeth are involved. Usually, the patient can just drop by, get the bonding done and walk out.
After that, the resin is applied, and it’s immediately shaped on the teeth to make it as natural looking as possible.
- Drying – The resin needs to be quickly dried up. To do this, the dentist will shine an ultraviolet light on the resin, which will harden pretty fast once exposed to the light. Even as the resin is hardening, the dentist will continue to work on it, adjusting the shape and fine tuning it for optimum results.
- Duration – The total duration of the procedure is typically about thirty minutes, but if the procedure is complicated or multiple teeth are involved, it might extend to 60 minutes or so. This applies to every tooth that needs bonding.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Some Of The Main Benefits Of Tooth Bonding Include:
- Easy and Cheap – Compared to almost any other dental procedure, this is the easiest and cheapest option.
- Single Visit – Most dental procedures usually take multiple visits, but not tooth bonding.
- Reduced Enamel Loss – Many dental procedures come very close to damaging the enamel covering on the tooth, but tooth bonding does not.
- No Anesthesia – Unless the tooth damage is severe, the procedure does not need the patient to go under anesthesia.
Like With Any Other Dental Procedures, There Are Few Disadvantages Too, like:
- Stains – Tooth bonding is not as stain-resistant as other dental procedures like crowns.
- Not Long Lasting – Resin tends to scrape away pretty fast, sometimes leading to repeated tooth bonding procedures
According to expert advice by a doctor (Joshua Hong DDS), dental bonding is a good option if the objective is to make minor cosmetic changes to the way your teeth look. The procedure is simple, costs less and has a lot of advantages. At the same time, it’s not a permanent solution for those who are looking for long-term answers to serious dental problems.