Dental bonding is a process by which a filling material is bonded to the tooth using a special light. This is done to repair, reshape or recontour a tooth or teeth. It has many uses and is often a procedure in cosmetic dentistry. You may be most familiar with it being used as a filling material for cavities.
Dental Bonding as Filling Material
Composite resins have been around since the 1960s. Early versions of these tooth colored filling materials could not withstand the pressure exerted on back teeth. They would weaken or break and need replacement unlike their silver amalgam counterparts which would hold up for decades under the right circumstances.
New advances in dental technologies and materials have created composite filling materials that are now comparable to amalgam. These composites are used in dental bonding to replace amalgam fillings. This simple change can improve a person’s widest smile.
Tooth Repair
Chipped, cracked and damaged teeth can be restored to their natural look with dental bonding. The tooth colored material works well to replace a missing part of a tooth. The bonding solution is used as a sealant when a tooth is cracked. The two parts bond back together repairing the crack. When a tooth is chipped or broken composite material is used to replace the missing piece and bonded onto the tooth.
Dental Bonding in Cosmetic Dentistry
Sometimes a tooth is badly discolored, and whitening doesn’t work. In these situations, dental bonding is used as a cover-up to restore the color. It is also used to close small gaps between teeth or make teeth look longer. Dental Bonding can also be used to reshape a tooth.
If you think you could benefit from dental bonding, contact Waller Dental. Ask us about replacing your silver amalgam fillings with composites, repairing chipped teeth or cosmetic dentistry. We are here to help you get your best smile.