Many people associate dental fillings or crowns with dentistry. Yet dental bonding is an essential tool for tooth restoration. Dental bonding is a standard tool for dentistry, and it is also very useful for cosmetic reasons.
Tooth bonding is the application of a resin that matches your natural tooth color via a special type of glue and then cured under a UV light. Those who are familiar with shellac manicures will see some similarities in dental bonding!
Bonding is fast, completely pain-free, and a very easy solution to address cosmetic problems. For example, bonds are popular for severe stains and small chips, cracks, or breaks.
Cracked or Chipped Tooth Restoration is Important to Oral Health
A cracked or chipped tooth may be saved with dental bonding. That’s because the bonding reseals the damaged area, protecting it from decay. This can prevent a more serious dental problem, literally saving your tooth. To our dental team, it isn’t just cosmetic, even though you’ll often hear it called cosmetic dentistry.
Dental bonding is also a popular choice to lengthen teeth, repair decayed teeth once the proper cleaning has been completed, and to fill in small spaces between teeth. As you can tell, this procedure can accomplish many different goals from strengthening your teeth to whitening your smile.
Do You Need Dental Bonding?
Perfect Tooth Restoration in No Time
Very little preparation is needed for bonds, and they are usually completed in one appointment. Anesthesia is almost never required (with the exception being some decayed teeth). Your Phoenix dentist has a “shade guide” to match your whitest white to the bond. No teeth are perfectly white. They all have a variety of ivory colors and even some blue hues. It’s important that aesthetic fixes look natural.
The tooth’s surface gets “roughed up” and a conditioning material is applied. This will help the bond “bond” to the tooth, kind of like putting a base coat on a manicure. The actual resin looks a bit like putty, and it is crafted into the perfect shape then smoothed to perfection. Your Phoenix cosmetic dentist can shift the shape and smoothness as much as necessary, because the tooth won’t bond until the ultraviolet light is applied to cure it.
Dental bonding material can be a permanent or temporary solution. In temporary cases, bonds “hold the place” for incoming crowns and veneers. The type of adhesive and cure used dictates whether a dental bond is temporary or permanent.
Close Bonds
On average, it takes 30 – 60 minutes to apply a bond to each tooth. One of the biggest benefits is that it’s so affordable and easy. Since getting dental bonds in Phoenix is usually a cosmetic appointment, many insurance policies may not cover it. Since bonds are relatively affordable, a reputable dental office should offer payment and finance plans. Bonds aren’t “customized” like crowns and veneers, and they don’t need to be made in a lab, which dramatically reduces the price.
However, bonds can stain just like your regular teeth. In fact, they act quite a bit like natural teeth! Good oral hygiene and keeping up with routine dental visits is essential. Bonds can also break and chip just like your natural teeth. Talk to your Phoenix AZ dentist today about whether bonding is a good choice for you. You can call our office at one of the numbers above or request an appointment online.