If you want to have a damaged or discolored tooth looking like new, there are several options your dentist at Lovett Dental Webster may suggest for you. Dental bonding is a common way to repair a cracked, chipped, discolored, or decayed tooth. This treatment offers minimal discomfort while giving individuals full use of their teeth and preventing future issues from arising due to neglect.

What is Dental Bonding?

doctor prepares young man for dental bonding Tooth or dental bonding is a cosmetic dental procedure by which your dentist repairs cracked, chipped, or otherwise broken teeth. It is also used to restore discolored teeth or for gaps between the teeth. Front teeth bonding is the most common procedure because those are the first thing people see. However, bonding also protects damaged unseen teeth to protect them from disease and decay.

The “bond” that resin replaces lost or damaged portions of teeth and ensures the continuing health of the rest of your teeth. One advantage of bonding over fillings or a crown is that the bond material can be made to match your healthy teeth’ color.

What’s Involved in Dental Bonding?

The procedure is an in-and-out process that generally requires no anesthesia. Anesthesia may be required if your dentist is required to change the shape of a tooth significantly. Your dentist may also use it if the chip is close to a nerve.

The procedure itself is accomplished in two simple steps: applying and molding the composite resin to the damaged area before using a UV light.

Who Should Consider Dental Bonding?

The best candidates for dental bonding are people who have suffered a minor injury to teeth that are not decayed.

This procedure works best for patients who are already satisfied with the color of their teeth. If you want your teeth to be whitened, that should be done before the bonding procedure. Your dentist chooses a bond to match your natural teeth, but your bond won’t change color if you have your teeth whitened later.

Are there any Risks?

Dental bonding is a simple outpatient procedure that involves no risks. While veneers require the dentist to grind a patient’s teeth, bonding generally does not. The composite resin used in dental bonding tends to break or chip with less frequency than crowns or veneers.

How Can You Take Care of Bonded Teeth?

Composite resin is not as strong as the enamel of your natural teeth. Practically nothing else is. Therefore, your bond will require special care.

This means avoiding chewing on ice, nuts, or other hard objects. Hard candies and foods should be eaten with care less often than before you had the bond done. But this is a win-win. The foods you need to show caution with now are the ones we all should if we still have all our natural teeth without bonding.

Because resin can’t be whitened, you are more likely to experience discoloration if you drink too much red wine and coffee or smoke.

Protect Your Smile

Your teeth are extraordinarily resilient, but they are not indestructible. Damage to your teeth doesn’t require being a blow to the face but can occur with something as simple as biting down on a seed you weren’t expecting to be there. You can even chip a tooth due to decay.

Bonding fixes chips, cracks, and if required, even gaps between teeth. The procedure is painless, takes just one visit to the dentist, and is long-lasting. Be sure and ask your dentist about what your teeth whitened before your bond, so you leave your appointment with a smile you want to have for the rest of your life.

Contact Lovett Dental Webster today at 832-932-5584, or contact us online to learn more about our dental bonding services and other customized dental care procedures.