Bonding, Just Not at Thanksgiving

dental BondingBonding. You remember it from that experiment discussed in your Psych 101 class where the monkey bonded with that wire mesh surrogate monkey. You remember your Mom saying that “This Thanksgiving will be a wonderful time for you to bond with your cousins, you know, the ones who just got out of prison.” Or maybe you just spent the weekend watching endless James Bond movies on TBS and you called the exercise “Bonding.”

Well, despite the obvious benefits of all of those sorts of bonding, at Gentle Dental we have a better form of bonding, dental bonding. Dental bonding is the easiest, least invasive way to repair overly decayed, scratched, chipped, or even cracked teeth.

What is dental bonding?

In dental bonding (sometimes called composite bonding) resin is used to cover, fill, or reshape teeth. The resin is applied to the tooth and then is cured with a special light. Bonding can correct all sorts of cosmetic problems with teeth.

Bonding is a cosmetic procedure, however, so should not be confused with a restoration such as an implant. In fact, any problems such as decay needs to be addressed before any bonding is done.

What can be done with bonding?

Think of bonding as a way to cover up flaws, damage, or other problems with a tooth or teeth. If a tooth is chipped, that corner can be replaced with bonding resin. A cracked tooth can be covered, returning strength and hopefully saving the tooth. A tooth with lots of decay (after the decay is removed) can be filled and strengthened with bonding. If a person has gaps between his or her teeth or if their teeth are uneven, bonding can be used to make them uniform. Resin can even be used in place of silver amalgam fillings. Overly stained teeth can be covered with bonding.

What are the drawbacks of bonding?

Despite the ease of a bonding treatment, there are drawbacks. The resin is not as strong as other options such as porcelain veneers or dental implants. Plus, bonding resin is not as enduring as porcelain veneers and it can chip or break if the patient eats some questionable foods or bites down wrong.

How is bonding done?

First the teeth are cleaned. Then your Gentle Dental dentist will select the resin color that is the best match for your natural tooth color. Next the tooth to be bonded will be prepared by lightly roughing up the tooth surface, and then coating it with a conditioning liquid. The resin is then placed on the tooth and molded into the necessary shape. Once the dentist is satisfied with the shape the resin is cured with a laser or UV light. After curing, the bond is shaved off as necessary and then polished so that it closely resembles your adjacent natural teeth.

Interested in covering up some cosmetic flaws on your teeth? Call us at Gentle Dental, (732) 549-5660, and let’s talk about bonding.

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