What is Dental Bonding?

If you have chipped or stained teeth, or have some imperfections in your smile that you want to fix, dental bonding may be the perfect solution for you. Dental bonding is a procedure where the dentist will bond a tooth colored resin to your tooth with an ultraviolet light. Dental bonding is used to make small cosmetic improvements to your teeth and may be the perfect solution to fix your chipped or stained teeth. Dental bonding is usually faster than other cosmetic procedures, like crowns or veneers, and is less expensive. It typically takes less than an hour per tooth to get a great result.

The use of dental bonding is a decision that is between you and your Phoenix dentist. Some of the reasons you may choose dental bonding are:

• To repair chipped or cracked teeth.
• To improve the appearance of stained or discolored teeth.
• To change the shape of teeth or make the teeth look longer.

Dental bonding is a simple procedure. Your Phoenix dentist will select a shade of resin matches the color of your tooth, will then roughen the surface of your tooth and apply a conditioning liquid to help the bonding material stick to your tooth. The resin in the shade of your tooth is applied, shaped, and smoothed to the perfect shape for your smile and cured with an ultra violet light. This light makes the resin hard and durable. Once the resin has hardened, your dentist will continue to shape and polish it so the tooth with the dental bonding looks perfectly natural in your mouth.

While dental bondings have many advantages, there are also some disadvantages to dental bonding. Some Phoenix dentists find them to be better suited for smaller cosmetic changes and for fixing front teeth, since they are less stain resistant as crowns or veneers. They also don’t last as long or are as strong as crowns and veneers, which can lead to chipping or breaking off after a few years. Typically, dental bondings last between 3 and 10 years before needing to be retouched or replaced.

The decision to use a dental bonding instead of a different cosmetic dental procedure is a decision that is between you and your Phoenix dentist. If you have any questions or concerns, please make sure to ask your dentist or his office staff.