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Bonding--how to aesthetically enhance your smile


For years, dentists have used bonding procedures to aesthetically and structurally enhance teeth. By using a mixture of resin, fillers and glass, dentists are able to imitate the look and feel of your natural tooth. Simply put, applying this mixture to your tooth bonds the composite to your tooth structure.

If you have chips, cracks or misshapen teeth, consider bonding. Your cosmetic dentist will use a material similar to enamel and apply it to your tooth’s surface. The mixture is then shaped to your teeth.

A laser hardens the mixture, and to finish off, your cosmetic dentist will polish your new tooth/teeth structure to a gorgeous smile. Bonding is not as strong as your natural teeth so you should be extra careful when biting into hard foods like apples.

Since bonded fillings are more durable in the back teeth, many people consider using porcelain veneers in the front.

The bonding procedure typically requires one appointment where your cosmetic dentist eliminates a bit of your tooth structure and applies an etching agent to the primed tooth. Your dentist will then layer the structure with a transparent, adhesive resin, which fuses into the pores and bonds the resin to the tooth structure.

After the resin mixture bonds to your tooth, your dentist will contour the tooth-colored resin and then harden it with a laser or curing light.
Friday, May 17, 2013