An Overview of Dental Bonding Treatment

in Van, TX
dental-bonding
By Advanced Family Dentistry
By Advanced Family Dentistry

The demand for dental cosmetic procedures is on the rise, irrespective of the time and age group of people that are being discussed. This is because the number of dental issues that can be addressed using cosmetic procedures is many. Cosmetic dental bonding in Nashua, NH is generally resorted to in case of the following issues:

  • Unwanted stains and scars in your teeth
  • Slight gaps in between the teeth
  • If your teeth have turned partly brownish or yellowish
  • A chipped or cracked tooth

What is Dental Bonding?

In simple terms, dental bonding is a tooth-colored resin material that is attached to your teeth in order to hide the issues that have appeared on them. The material is attached using a high-intensity light. Hence, being a relatively easy and simple dental procedure, dental bonding has gained popularity over the years as far as smile enhancement of individuals is concerned.

In a gist, the steps involved in dental bonding are:

  • The shade of your tooth is taken such that the color of your resin material closely matches the color of your tooth.
  • The surface of the tooth is prepared by slightly etching the surface. A conditioning liquid is used to help the bonding material firmly adhere to your tooth.
  • The resin material is placed on the tooth such that it takes the shape of your tooth perfectly
  • An ultraviolet ray is used to harden the resin onto your tooth.
  • After attaching the material perfectly, the rest of the resin mold is trimmed off and the material polished (in order to match the sheen of the rest of the teeth).

Bonding and its variants

The process of dental bonding treatment could traditionally go for composite resin or the porcelain veneers could also be used.  Both roughly serve the same purpose – hiding the stains or the cracks and bettering your smile. This article discusses the two variants elaborately in the following section.

In both the procedures, the tooth’s surface is slightly scraped off (etched) so that the material adheres to the tooth’s surface perfectly.

  1. Composite bonding
    In case of a composite resin bonding, the resin is matched to the color of the surrounding teeth and then applied to the tooth. It is contoured into shape, attached perfectly using a curing light, and finally trimmed and polished.
  2. Veneer bonding
    A veneer is similarly prepared, keeping in mind the shade first. The shade needs to match with that with your original tooth. The laboratory-made customized veneer is then bonded to the teeth using bonding cement?

Which to go for – composite or porcelain veneer?

The major difference that can be cited between the two is that of the material being used. Apart from this both the variants more or less serve the same purpose. Besides, an individual usually prefers porcelain veneers over the composite ones, the reasons being:

  • Porcelain has better light-reflecting properties than resin. This makes your teeth look whiter and brighter.
  • Porcelain veneers are stronger than the composite resin ones. They typically last for almost a decade. However, proper maintenance is necessary.
  • They are more resistant to stains as compared to veneers and crowns.

Bonding Vs. Other Procedures

The prime factor that makes dental bonding mostly popular is that it is a lot cheaper when compared to other procedures. Nevertheless, the purpose of hiding your tooth’s flaws is well served.  Another significant reason why some people go for bonding is that only a negligible amount of tooth needs to be removed. Procedures like a dental crown require a much more amount of the tooth to be scrapped off. In fact, the minor amount often calls for no anesthesia!

Therefore, although less expensive, yet, bonding has a lot of factors to stand for itself. Every procedure has some elements in favor or against it. Similarly, one might have his or her own reasons to go for bonding. A proper recommendation from your dentist is essential though.