Dental Bonding

Dental bonding involves having a composite resin to restore decayed or damaged teeth. Both the back and front teeth can be repaired in this manner and the resin can be used to lighten the color of any stained or discolored teeth helping them to become a whiter color. A cosmetic dentist can use the resin to cover any natural defects in the teeth by applying a thin coating of plastic material over the front surface of one or more teeth. Then he/she applies a bonding material, which he sculpts, colors and shapes to provide a pleasing appearance. The resin hardens under a high intensity light before being polished.

Dental bonding lasts longer than ordinary fillings, usually about 7 – 11 years. During the process, the dentist applies a mild etching solution to the teeth. This created tiny crevices in the enamel so that the surface of the teeth is rough enough to help the resin bond to the teeth. When it is placed on the teeth, a bright light helps the resin to harden within minutes of the application. Then it is sculpted to fit each tooth and polished. There are many shades of resin so the dentist has to carefully match the color to the natural color of the teeth. The procedure takes a bit longer than that required for a filling because of the many layers of resin needed. It usually takes one or two hours to have the process completed.

There are two types of dental bonding depending on the area that needs dental work. For smaller corrections, everything is done during one visit. This shorter visit is usually done on one or two front teeth. Larger corrections may need two of three visits to the dentist’s office. The dentist needs to make a mold of the teeth and put temporary fillings in place. A dental lab uses the mold to make a custom fit durable mold of the teeth. These fillings are usually made of porcelain and the bonding is done on the next visit. The porcelain bonding is more natural looking, more stain resistant and lasts longer than the composite resin bonding.

Those who have small gaps between their teeth or chipped and cracked teeth often want to have the dental bonding procedure. It also works for those who have stained and discolored teeth. Since the bonding is a porous material, smokers will find that it will yellow with the smoke. The price of having bonding done varies with the amount of work that is required. A typical price is about $300 to $600 per tooth. Most health insurance plans do cover the cost of bonding when it is done for structural repair of the teeth.

Dental bonding is much better than silver fillings because none of the tooth has to be removed in bonding. The ordinary silver in fillings does not adhere to teeth and so the dentist has to remove the entire structure of the tooth to insert a filling. With bonding, the dentist only has to remove the decayed portion of the tooth. Composite resin bonding expands, just as teeth do, and will no break or cause cracks because it bonds to the teeth and actually provides them with support. Composite bonding is a more expensive procedure because of the extra material and time that is required.

When patients visit the dentist for a filling, they often opt for the traditional silver filling because of the price. With composite resin bonding you are paying for quality and the extra cost is worth it.