Dental bonding or tooth bonding is an excellent process for correcting defects in teeth such as chips, gaps between the teeth, spots, and stains. The dental bonding process allows the dentist to reshape or add to a tooth while matching the tooth’s exact color, texture, and translucency.
Dental bonding is usually used for smaller imperfections in one or two teeth at a time. A cosmetic dentist will not use this process when doing a complete smile makeover. Those types of cosmetic dentistry are generally addressed using different techniques such as porcelain veneers. Dental bonding has huge visual improvements over unsightly silver amalgam fillings. The process can be used on front teeth and when done properly is virtually undetectable and will last for over 10 years. It is the safe, preferred solution for many smaller dental problems.
The dental bonding process is very effective but requires a highly skilled trained dentist to ensure that the final outcome is both beautiful and natural. In the process, the dentist will roughen the tooth’s surface and etch the tooth, then apply a special bonding agent. Next a composite restorative material is added to fill the missing parts of the tooth and an ultraviolet light is used to harden the resin which is then reshaped and polished for the final new natural finish. Dental bonding, when done correctly, will blend perfectly with the tooth so that it is undetectable where the bonding ends and the natural tooth begins.
