To Bond or Not to Bond? Is it even a Question?

Have you ever wanted to change anything about your smile? Chipped, pointy, uneven teeth? Stains, brown spots, uneven smile line? Old fillings that have discolored or cracked over time?

Most people don’t realize that a smile can go through a dramatic improvement in one or a couple of dental visits. Even more interesting is that fact that this kind of dental work might be less costly than what many expect to pay.

A simple process called Dental Bonding can restore and dramatically improve a look of a smile in less than two hours. This is done by adding white composite material (same as used for white fillings) to edges of teeth and molding it to look like part of the tooth. This process is usually done without anesthesia and, as there is no tooth drilling involved, causes absolutely no pain.

To prime the tooth surface and ensure that the bonding material will stay on the tooth, we start by applying a blue gel to the tooth surface that will etch it. This gel is washed away a few seconds later and the tooth gets dried. A special bonding agent is then cured on the tooth. Then it’s time for the most creative part of the process: actually molding the composite material on the tooth surface. This requires precise dexterity and using a number of dental instruments to shape the material to the desired shape. The mold gets cured (hardens) using a light of certain wavelength.

After the basic shape is given to the tooth it gets filed and polished to achieve the final result: a more attractive, even, symmetrical and smooth tooth structure. When 4 or more teeth are bonded the entire smile can improve in a dramatic way.

Bonding process is usually preceded by tooth whitening. Then the color of composite material bonded to the tooth is chosen to match the new shade of teeth.

Dr. Greene is a Cosmetic and Anti-Aging Dentist in New York. If you have a question or would like to start creating Your Perfect Smile feel free to get in touch with her office at 212.832.0004 or patients@truimagedental.com