Dental Bonding, also known as composite bonding or simply ‘bonding’, is a quick and effective solution for many cosmetic dental problems from a minor chip, stained or cracked tooth to a whole mouth of problems. Bonding can be used in the hands of a well trained cosmetic dentist to provide a repair of a small corner broken off a front tooth right the way up to a total smile makeover.
Dental bonding involves the skilled use of composite resin that is specially designed enabling it to be color-matched to each patient’s teeth to provide a completely natural-looking result.
As with most dental procedures, the more teeth a patient needs fixed, the longer the procedure will take, however minor dental bonding can usually be done within a couple of hours, often with minimal or even absolutely no drilling.
Layers of composite resin filling material are built up on a tooth, recreating the 3D colour and shape of that tooth or enhancing it as part of a pre-planned scheme to perform a cosmetic smile enhancement.
Advantages
- Aims to keep as much of the natural tooth intact as possible
- Looks natural
- Is quick often taking one hour to repair teeth
- Fantastic for minor alterations
- Is extremely strong plastic less likely to chip
- Can be performed in one visit
- Less costly than porcelain
- You can eat and use your teeth normally virtually straight away
Disadvantages
- Will not last as long as porcelain