Dental bonding is a cosmetic procedure that uses resin to repair small chips or cracks, and even hide stains. It’s a quick and easy method to touch up a smile and restore it to its perfect style.
Compared to other cosmetic procedures, such as crowns and veneers, bonding is non-invasive and doesn’t take away any of your natural tooth.
It is ideal to pair this treatment with teeth whitening to get the most effective results for your smile.
Procedure
The procedure is very simple and quick; you will attend your appointment and our dentist will talk you through the process.
They will allow you to choose from different colors of resins, in order to find the one that most closely matches the color of your teeth.
After the resin is chosen, our dentist will roughen the surface of the tooth, in order to prepare the enamel for the resin.
Next, the dentist will apply a liquid that allows the tooth to bind with the resin.
The resin is placed on the tooth, at which point the dentist shapes and molds the resin to fit the desired shape.
This will either replace the part of the tooth that was chipped, fill and cover the crack, or cover the stain that was on the tooth.
An ultraviolet light will then be placed over the mouth to harden the resin and complete the process.
The whole procedure does not require any anesthesia, and does not require any recovery time.
It is advised you do not drink coffee or tea for 48 hours after the bonding, as it could negatively affect the resin.
Cutting down on tea, coffee and wine will help reduce staining of the teeth in general.
Benefits and Maintenance
Bonding is useful to fill in chipped teeth, particularly teeth at the front of the mouth that may be obvious to other people.
They can also help fill in teeth that have been affected by tooth decay, or simply fill in the gaps between teeth.
Bonding can be used to change the shape of teeth, and to close spaces between teeth.
This can be useful if you want some minor adjustments to your teeth, but do not want something as full on as a retainer or braces.
To help the tooth with resin stay clean and unstained, brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes, as well as flossing regularly, will help ensure the tooth’s maintenance.
Keeping to your regular dentist appointment will help us stay on top of your oral health, and eliminate any plaque that has built up.
Bonding resin should last 5 to 10 years, depending on the maintenance of your oral health, and the particulars of the tooth in question.
Dental Bonding in San Francisco
Have a chipped tooth you would like to fill in? Or want to know more about bonding?
Contact San Francisco Dental Arts by calling 415-854-9396 to schedule your appointment.
