What Is Dental Bonding?
If you have mildly chipped, crooked, or misshapen teeth that are causing you to feel self-conscious or unhappy with your smile, our cosmetic dentists in Holly Springs and Cary can help! We offer several cosmetic solutions to help improve the appearance of our patients’ smiles; one of these is called dental bonding. If you’re looking for a non-invasive, cost-effective option to achieve the smile of your dreams, tooth bonding may be right for you!
Dental bonding refers to applying a tooth-colored resin over the existing tooth to repair or cover a damaged, stained, or misshapen tooth or to fill gaps between teeth. Looking and feeling just like your regular tooth enamel, bonding doesn’t affect the functionality or feel of your teeth in any way.
Bonding is often used as a less expensive, simpler alternative to dental veneers while getting nearly the same results. Veneers are made by creating a custom mold which is sent to a lab to create the thin porcelain shells which are then fitted over the patient’s teeth. This is a time-consuming, expensive solution that isn’t right for everyone. Bonding, on the other hand, is a simple, inexpensive way to get straight, even, vibrantly white teeth.
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The Dental Bonding Process
The first step to the dental bonding process is working with a cosmetic dentist to determine if this is the right solution to meet your dental health goals. Your dentist will most likely require a checkup to ensure your teeth are healthy and make sure any decay is repaired before adding the bonding. Once your teeth are in good shape, the process itself is very simple.
Unless using tooth bonding to repair a cavity, there’s no need for any anesthesia. Instead, your dentist will use a special gel that gently etches your teeth to create a slightly rough surface area that will ensure the bonding adheres and sticks to the front of the tooth. From there, the dentist will apply a liquid adhesive that allows the composite resin to adhere and then he or she will apply the bonding resin. Once it’s all applied, he or she will use an ultraviolet light to speed up the curing time.
Once the resin has cured fully, the dentist will shape and polish your dental bonding to ensure a vibrant, healthy smile!
Benefits of Dental Bonding
Dental bonding offers our patients several benefits, including:
Cost
Dental bonding is a fraction of the cost of veneers while providing similar results. Because insurance may not cover most dental cosmetic procedures, this can play a role in determining which option is best for you.
Quick Application
After your initial visit with your dentist in Holly Springs or Cary, the dental bonding process can be completed in one visit. There’s no waiting for a lab or need for custom molds.
Pain Free
Whether you’re having one tooth or several teeth bonded, it’s a painless experience for our patients. There’s no special preparation required and no anesthesia or numbing agent is needed.
Easy to Care For
While the composite resin isn’t has hard or durable as your natural teeth, caring for newly bonded teeth doesn’t require special treatment. Instead, it’s important to:
- Brush twice a day and floss daily.
- Visit your dentist for regular teeth cleanings.
- Avoid crunching on hard candy or ice.
- Don’t bite your nails or use your teeth to open packages.
- Skip coffee, tea, colas, or tobacco products for a few days to prevent stains.
Is Dental Bonding Right for You?
Dental bonding is a great alternative to solutions that may be more difficult, expensive, or invasive, like bridges or veneers. It is generally used to fix the following cosmetic issues:
- Covers stains on teeth, both extrinsic stains (stains on the outside of the teeth caused by food or drink) and intrinsic (stains on the inside of the teeth caused by medication or trauma
- Covers chips, cracks, or damage to teeth
- Fills gaps in between teeth to create a more even appearance.
- Reshape misshapen, malformed, or undersized teeth.
The best way to determine if dental bonding is right for you is to visit our office and consult with one of our cosmetic dentists!
Schedule An Appointment For Dental Bonding
Schedule a consultation with the team at Sninski & Schmitt Family Dentistry to discuss dental bonding for your teeth by calling either of our locations or filling out the form below.
Cary Office
Holly Springs Office