Treatment overview
Composite cosmetic teeth bonding is an increasingly popular cosmetic dental treatment that is used to improve the shape, colour and overall appearance of patients’ teeth. It uses the same resin bonding material used for white fillings, and is most frequently used on the front teeth – those that show when you smile.
There have been huge advances in the materials used in bonding dentistry in recent years, meaning composite bonding can be used for disguising minor imperfections in the front teeth, closing small gaps and hiding minor tooth rotations, with no damage to your teeth.
Composite bonding is a pain-free experience that requires, in most cases, just one visit to the practice. Your dentist will be able to choose a shade of resin that closely matches the colour of your teeth, meaning that the results will look entirely natural.
Here is how the treatment works:
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Your dentist picks a shade of resin that matches the natural colour of your teeth.
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The resin is carefully applied to your teeth, with no need for any work or damage to them.
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Your dentist then carefully shapes and smooths the resin to hide any imperfections, for a result that looks entirely natural.
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Once the resin has been shaped, it is hardened very quickly with the help of a special light.
Although composite bonding treatment does not last as long as veneers, many patients find the treatment is highly cost-effective. It can also be repeated with no damage at all to your teeth.
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Essential cosmetic dentistry help
A 40 page report full of the most useful information, ideal if you’re thinking about any aspect of cosmetic dentistry
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The costs and lowest price alternatives
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Your options and choices for treatment
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Are you suitable for treatment?
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How you can have whiter, straighter and better looking teeth
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How long does each treatment take?
Plus lots more…
Eating with bonded front teeth
After the dental bonding material has been applied to your teeth you will need to wait 24 hours for the full strength to be reached. After this you will be able to eat and chew as normal.
You do however have to be aware that you have bonding on your teeth, avoid using your front teeth to bite extremely hard food, such as biting into toffee apples when a hard outer layer or biting off things like lollipops. These can be extremely hard and can fracture bonded front teeth.
Dental bonding vs veneers
We are going to evaluate dental bonding vs veneers against 6 different factors:
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Time in chair. How long will you have to sit in the dentist's chair whilst having the treatment?
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Number of appointments. This is important if you wish to have treatment undertaken more quickly and have fewer visits.
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Longevity. How long do veneers last?
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Injection required? Whilst modern dental injections can be relatively pain-free, most people would like to avoid them if at all possible.
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Impressions required? Some people dislike the idea of having a dental impression.
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Repairability. If the worst happens, how easy are each to repair and replace?
Dental bonding
Time in chair: Simple bonding can usually be undertaken in approximately one hour although complex treatments may require longer.
Number of appointments: 1
Longevity: Up to 10 years with minor touching up throughout that time.
Injection required? Usually no.
Impressions required? No.
Repairability: Relatively easy for a dentist to repair in the event of any fracture or failure, new dental composite material can simply be added on top to touch up the original restoration.
Veneers
Time in chair: Initial preparation of the tooth will take approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour for a single veneer and longer for multiple cases. A single veneer can usually be fitted in approximately one hour although complex treatments may require longer.
Number of appointments: 2 or more.
Longevity: Typically 10-15 years.
Injection required? Usually yes.
Impressions required? Yes.
Repairability: Not repairable. This means that if a veneer fractures or breaks it will need to be completely removed by drilling off and the whole process started again.
Teeth bonding disadvantages
There are very few disadvantages to having teeth bonding, so long as it is done well. We always want our patients to be fully informed about any treatment so you do need to be aware that:
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Teeth bonding can discolour if you eat a lot of very strong coloured food or drink, such as strong curry or red wine. It is however very easy for your dentist to polish out any discolouration so this is a very minor disadvantage.
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Bonding is not as strong as your natural teeth. Whilst bonding is often the best way to restore a broken down tooth, it is not as strong as your natural tooth so you need to be aware when eating.
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The bonding composite will wear. The wear rate of the bonding composite is higher than natural teeth, this means the composite will wear away faster than natural teeth do meaning you may have to have the bonding replaced after a few years.
Can bonded teeth be whitened?
No. It's not possible to whiten bonded teeth using conventional teeth whitening/bleaching procedures. The key to whiter teeth is to have teeth whitening done BEFORE bonding, and then have any bonding done to match this new whiter shade.
If you already have teeth bonding and want whiter teeth then the only way to achieve this is to have new bonding using a whiter teeth bonding composite material
Life Benefits
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A natural, healthy smile that you are proud to show off.
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No preparation of your teeth is required, meaning they remain strong.
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Treatment can usually be completed in one short visit to the practice.