Improving the appearance of your smile has never been easier with cosmetic bonding treatment.

Etwall Dental Practice finds that many patients suffer from tooth discolouration and are in search of teeth whitening. Others experience issues out of their control such as tooth cracks, chips and broken teeth. Advancements in technology have allowed patients to undergo a cosmetic bonding process, to fix all of the aforementioned issues.

What Is Cosmetic Bonding?

Composite bonding (often referred to as tooth bonding or a cosmetic dental procedure) is a treatment option for minor tooth damage or gaps. Bonding is the process of repairing a decaying, chipped, broken, or discoloured tooth with a tooth-coloured composite resin (plastic).

Unlike veneers, which are created in a lab and require a specific mould to ensure a proper fit, bonding can be completed in only one visit. Because the substance attaches to the tooth, the operation is termed bonding.

What Are The benefits of Cosmetic Bonding?

In most cases, composite bonding can be completed in only one visit to the cosmetic dentist. It’s a quick and easy solution to address minor cosmetic flaws. As soon as the composite is applied, it is hardened using UV radiation, resulting in a tooth that can securely bite down by the end of the session.

In addition, bonding is a non-invasive treatment. Crowns and veneers, for example, remove a portion of the tooth permanently. To apply composite bonding, the tooth’s surface just needs to be roughened to aid the resin’s bonding, leaving the tooth’s structure intact.

For many, one of the biggest reassurances for having this treatment is that the composite resin colour matches that of natural teeth. In doing so, patients do not feel self-conscious when revealing their smile.

How Does Cosmetic Bonding Work?

Firstly, your dentist will use a shade guide to choose which composite resin hue best matches the colour of your tooth. Once your dentist has decided on a colour, they will roughen the tooth’s surface by abrading or etching it. Here, the tooth will be lightly treated with a conditioning liquid to aid in the bonding process.

Your dentist will then apply the tooth-coloured, putty-like resin, after the tooth has been prepped. The resin is moulded and smoothed until the desired shape is achieved. Then, the material is hardened using ultraviolet or laser light.

Following this, the bonding material will be trimmed and shaped once hardened. Then your dentist will polish the material until it closely matches the colour of your natural teeth.

The resin can be stained by tea, coffee, cigarette smoke, and other chemicals. It’s critical to avoid staining foods or beverages for the first 48 hours following any composite operation to avoid or reduce stains. Brush your teeth frequently and remember to maintain good oral hygiene long after the treatment is complete.

The treatment normally takes 30 minutes to an hour to complete. If you need work done on more than one tooth, you may need to make multiple appointments.

Maintain your oral health or get expert medical advice from Etwall Dental Practice. If you feel as though you may require cosmetic bonding or another dental treatment, please get in touch with us via phone on 01283 733391 or fill out our contact form and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.