Composite Bonding

If you have a gap between your two front teeth, the dentists at Jeffrey I Klioze, DDS, LTD can use composite bonding (aka teeth bonding or dental bonding) to eliminate spaces between your anterior teeth.

What is Composite Bonding?

Dental bonding offers patients a quick and cost-effective solution for addressing several types of aesthetic dental issues, including gaps between the teeth.

Composite bonding is one of the least invasive cosmetic dental services available at our dental office in Burke, Virginia. Our dentists can use teeth bonding to address a number of imperfections.

Dental bonding can:

• Close a small gap or uneven spacing between the front teeth.
• Address cracks or chips in the teeth.
• Improve the shape of a tooth.
• Cover a visible tooth root.
• Improve minor misalignment.
• Increase the length of worn-down teeth and improve their health.
• Fill in the missing portion of the tooth after removing the decay.
• Improve tooth color. If other whitening treatments don’t work, our dentists may recommend composite bonding to improve the color of a patient’s teeth.

Teeth Bonding: A Conservative Cosmetic Dentistry Approach

When a patient receives dental crowns or veneers, the dentist must remove a portion of the tooth’s enamel before they can place the prostheses. However, with composite bonding, our dentists don’t need to remove any of your healthy tooth structure.

Teeth bonding involves applying layers of resin over a tooth and shaping it as needed. Once application and shaping are complete, the dentist polishes the resin, which makes the tooth look completely natural.

A Teeth Bonding Procedure

To ensure your new tooth blends in seamlessly, our dentist matches the color of the bonding material with the color of its neighboring teeth.

Using a special sandpaper or rotary, our dentist roughens up the tooth’s surface.

Then, the dentist applies a conditioning liquid. This liquid helps bond the material to your tooth.

Our dentist begins by applying the composite bonding material to the tooth.

The dentist sculpts the bonding material so it matches the size and shape of its neighboring teeth.

Your dentist uses ultraviolet (UV) light to harden the resin. This process also causes the resin to adhere to your tooth.

Our dentist then shapes, trims, and polishes your tooth restoration. These steps ensure the resin tooth matches the characteristics of its adjacent teeth.

How Long Will a Teeth Bonding Procedure Take?

A composite bonding procedure takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour (per tooth). Once complete, your tooth restoration results should last for years.

Recovering After a Teeth Bonding Procedure

Once your dental bonding procedure is complete, you can go on with your day. However, to keep your smile bright, you should wait at least 48 hours before smoking or consuming beverages and foods that could stain your new tooth restoration (e.g., coffee and blueberries).

Initially, the resin may feel strange. This sensation only lasts for a couple of days, disappearing once you adjust to your new restoration.

How to Care for Your Teeth Bonding Material

The hardest substance in the body is tooth enamel. It’s even harder than your bones. Therefore, our natural teeth are strong enough to withstand the typical forces associated with eating crunchy and hard foods. Although the teeth-bonding material our team uses closely resembles and feels like a natural tooth, it’s not as strong as our enamel. Therefore, if you’re not careful, you may crack or chip the resin.

Just like the surface of natural teeth, composite bonding requires that you follow a good dental hygiene routine.

To extend the life and maintain the appearance of your teeth bonding restoration, we recommend:

• Brushing twice a day.
• Flossing daily.
• Scheduling your dental cleanings and exams every six months. These appointments allow your dentist to watch for dental issues. If our dentists discover an issue and address it right away, we can prevent additional problems from developing.
• Refraining from the consumption of hard candy and chewing on ice. In addition, don't bite down on hard materials or items (e.g., pens, pencils, and fingernails).

If you notice cracks, chips, or any other composite bonding issue, contact our office immediately. We’re always happy when we can help you keep your smile looking great.

FAQs About Teeth Bonding

1. Will composite bonding damage my teeth?

No. Since our dentists don’t have to remove any of your tooth enamel, dental bonding won’t damage your teeth. Therefore, should you decide you’d prefer to have the gap between your teeth back, our dentist can remove the bonding material. Nonetheless, if you decide you want to close the gap between your teeth again, our dentists can easily make this happen with composite bonding material.

2. How do I know if dental bonding is the right treatment for me?

As long as you don’t have severe oral health concerns, our dentists will probably consider teeth bonding a great option for closing the gap between your teeth.

3. What’s considered a serious oral health concern?

Advanced gum disease and severe tooth decay are both serious. Once our dentist addresses these issues, you may be a good candidate for composite bonding.

‍