Dr Shail Jaggi: Dental Bonding

Unlike what the title suggests, this has nothing to do with the dentist and patient relationship.

So what is Dental Bonding?

As dentistry evolves and heads more into preventive dentistry, dental bonding will have a huge role to play. To put it in simple terms, today we have dental adhesives… we have adhesives like Super Glue or Fevikwik. A tooth-coloured material is bonded onto the tooth surface to make it look like a natural tooth. The only difference being that these adhesives are meant only for the teeth. They come with a set of limitations and these have to be respected before one can recommend any treatment. Are you looking for this kind of bonding treatment? Head down to Dentist Chattanooga if you’re in the local area.

Why Bonding?

Bonding is by far the quickest, easiest and most inexpensive cosmetic dental procedure. The material used for bonding is called Composite Resin and this is bonded onto the tooth with a dental adhesive with superior adhesive strength. The composite resin, similar to that of this vinyl ester resin that has similar applications, comes in a huge variety of shades and colours to match every possible colour variant of the natural teeth. This allows it to look very natural.

Most often, bonding is used for cosmetic purposes to improve the appearance of a discoloured or chipped tooth. It also can be used to close spaces between teeth, to make teeth look longer or to change the shape and colour of teeth. It can be used quickly and efficiently to fix broken teeth, cavities, small fillings, crooked teeth and almost every other tooth-related disfigurement.

Sometimes bonding is used as a cosmetic alternative to fillings, or to protect a portion of the tooth’s root that has been exposed because of gum recession.

How Does it Work?

  • The initial step involves picking a perfect shade of the resin to match the remaining natural teeth
  • The surface of the tooth is roughened slightly and cleaned with a blue gel
  • This is followed with a coat of dental adhesive and layering of the selected dental composite onto the tooth. This is then cured with blue light to set the composite.
  • The composite is finally shaped and polished to perfection to match the adjacent teeth
  • The entire process takes about as hour and you can step out of the dental office armed with a sparkling newsmile.

Caring For Your Bonded Teeth:

Tea, coffee, tobacco and other substances can stain the resin used in bonding. To prevent or minimise stains, avoid indulging during the first 48 hours after any composite procedure.

How Long Does Bonding Last:

Bonding done efficiently can last for as long as seven years or more. It is however recommended that you avoid biting into excessively hard food items. Habits like nail-biting have to be totally avoided as these can cause the fillings to chip and get damaged

Who is the ideal patient for Dental Bonding?

Bonding can be used for a variety of dental needs.

  • Patients who don’t really want to spend huge sums of money on ceramic but still want a beautiful smile
  • Younger patients where one would avoid aggressive dental work
  • Highly apprehensive patients who don’t want their teeth damaged
  • Minor cosmetic correction where just bonding can give the patient a fantastic smile

The biggest advantage we specialists have with Bonded Dentistry is the fact that we can make the patient look fantastic with minimal damage to his natural teeth.

Bonded Dentistry Rocks. Till next week then, smile away!

Dr Shail Jaggi