If your smile could use some warming up, or at least some improvement, trust in the highly trained, friendly staff at Super Smiles of Burlington, Massachusetts. Led by the talented Emilie Miller, DMD, her elite team of dental specialists at Super Smiles will work with you to ensure you receive the best possible care in a relaxing, comfortable, pain-free environment. Dr. Miller’s team has been treating the greater Middlesex County area for over ten years and pride themselves on the convenient, compassionate dental care they provide near you. If your smile could be warmer, maybe tooth bonding is the right choice for you. Read on to learn more about tooth bonding and how it could help to warm up your smile. After all, a warm smile is a Super Smile.
What is Tooth Bonding?
Tooth bonding is a largely cosmetic dental procedure to improve the appearance of a tooth by applying a color matched resin compound to the surface of the tooth. Dental bonding can improve the appearance of a discolored tooth, repair a chipped or cracked tooth, increase the size of a tooth to match the others, or even fill small gaps between teeth. The composite resin is like the resins used in some veneers. Tooth bonding can also be used to treat decayed teeth or to protect a portion of your tooth’s root that’s been exposed. Tooth bonding can be a cost-effective alternative to a crown or veneer to improve your smile.
What Conditions are Dental Bondings Used to Treat?
Tooth bonding can be used to:
- Improve the appearance of discolored teeth where tooth whitening is not an option
- Repair a damaged tooth, such as a chipped or cracked tooth
- Repair a decayed tooth, such as a cavity
- Change the shape of a tooth or elongate it
- Close gaps between teeth
- Protect the exposed root of a tooth
Composite resin bonding offers a lot of versatile solutions to the dental profession today. Composite resins are just one of the many state-of-the-art tools and techniques used by Dr. Miller and her team who have had advanced training in using them.
What’s Involved in Having a Tooth Bonded?
The tooth bonding procedure is generally free of any pain or discomfort, and anesthetics are usually not required unless you’re having a decayed tooth filled. The whole procedure usually only takes between 30 to 60 minutes, from start to finish.
If anesthetics aren’t required, the first thing Dr. Miller will do is color match your teeth with the composite resin to match your natural teeth’s color as closely as possible. After that’s done, she’ll begin to prepare the surface of the tooth by roughing it up a little and applying a conditioning agent to it. These steps will ensure a good surface for the composite resin to stick to and make for a lasting bond.
Once the tooth has been prepared, Dr. Miller will start to apply the composite resin to your tooth. This step is a bit like a miniature version of a sculptor working with clay. She puts the resin on your tooth and then molds and smooths it out to the desired shape. Once she’s gotten the shape just about right, she’ll use a special light that activates the chemical bonding agents in the composite resin and hardens it.
Once hardened, it can be further shaped and trimmed to the exact details required, checking your bite in the process for a good fit. The final step is to polish the newly bonded tooth to match the sheen of your other teeth. And your new bonded tooth is ready to go!
How Should I Care for My Bonded Teeth?
Generally, caring for your bonded teeth is as easy as adhering to your normal oral health care regimen, such as brushing and flossing. However, while composite resin bonded teeth are strong, certain activities can weaken or break them and should be avoided. With bonded teeth you should never do things like chew on your nails, pens and pencils, ice, or other hard things. Composite resins are also prone to staining, so excess coffee drinking and smoking should be avoided in order to reduce the chances of staining from occurring.
Next Steps
If tooth bonding sound like the right option for your smile, call us at 781-272-1288 or click here to schedule an appointment to speak with Dr. Miller about what treatment options may be available to you.
