
A dental bonding can be used to repair a number of surface imperfections with your teeth. Learn how they’re different from veneers today!
Many times, when a patient is trying to find a dentist for a cosmetic dentistry procedure, they are expecting to receive either a dental bonding or a dental veneer. But in many cases – they actually don’t know which is which.
So what’s the difference between a dental veneer and dental bonding?
What is Dental Bonding?
A dental bonding is used to cover and smooth out the surface of your teeth. Most frequently, bonding is used when a patient has suffered from an injury like a chipped tooth.
Bonding is a very popular procedure for one very popular reason: it doesn’t require any extensive tooth alteration – just some minor “roughing up” to ensure that the bonding has a surface to stick to. On top of this, the procedure is inexpensive, fast, and quite simple.
First, your dentist chooses a composite resin that matches the color of your existing tooth.
Next, your dentist will rough up the affected area to make sure that the resin properly adheres to your tooth. For a vast majority of patients, this part of the process is painless, and doesn’t even require any anesthesia.
Your dentist will then apply multiple thin layers of resin which is then hardened with a UV light. This is repeated, layer after layer, until enough resin has been applied to your tooth to even out the surface and repair the imperfection.
Before you go home, your dentist will polish the resin to ensure that it matches the surface of your teeth in both color and feel.
How Long Does a Dental Bonding Last
For many patients, with proper care and oral hygiene – a dental bonding can be expected to last up to 10 years with its original color and shape. After this point, it could need to be repaired or replaced.
When Dentists Use Dental Bonding
In many cases, dental bonding is used when the damage or imperfection is relatively minor. Also, dental bonding is frequently used as a “first option” that can inexpensively repair minor surface damage sufficiently enough to rule out more expensive and involved procedures.
Bonding is used to repair or correct a number of conditions, including:
- Chips
- Cracks
- Gaps in your teeth
- Eroded teeth
- Exposed roots
- Dental stains
- Misshapen teeth
- And more…
While dental bonding uses a composite material to touch up and even out the surface imperfections caused by the above conditions, veneers take it to a whole new level and actually cover up the teeth to take care of larger areas.
Check back tomorrow to learn more about dental veneers, and how they’re different from dental bonding.
Are you looking for a dentist experienced with cosmetic dentistry? Do you have questions about your teeth or oral health? Don’t wait! Putting off dental care can encourage problems to
become worse and more expensive to treat. If you’re hoping to find a dentist in the Garden Grove area that makes a life-time of confident smiles a reality, look no further.