Dental Bonding

Bonding adds material instead of removing it. A tooth-colored composite resin is sculpted directly onto your tooth, hardened with a light, then polished until it blends with the surface around it. Because little or no enamel is taken away, the change is reversible in a way that veneers are not. The resin is shade-matched to the tooth it sits on, so a single repaired corner does not read as a patch.

It is the most conservative cosmetic option we have, and it asks for none of the commitment that veneers do. That makes it useful both as a repair and as a way to try a change before you decide on something permanent. It is also quick, often finished in under an hour.

A same-day repair matters more than it sounds. A chipped front tooth before a wedding or a photograph is the sort of thing bonding fixes in one appointment, with no lab step and nothing to wait for. The work it suits is small and specific.

We start with shade. We hold samples against the tooth in the light of the room and pick the one that disappears against it, because a repair that is slightly too bright is more noticeable than the chip was. Then we lightly prepare the surface so the resin has something to grip.

The resin goes on in layers and is shaped as we go. A curing light hardens each layer before the next one goes down. The last step is the longest, which is polishing, because the shine on the surface is most of what makes a repair look like enamel rather than filling material. We check the new edge against your bite before you get up.

Most bonding needs little or no numbing, and many repairs are finished in a single visit. We will numb the area if you would like us to, or if the work runs onto an exposed root. Tell us if anything feels sharp or cold while we work, and we will stop and sort it out.

Bonding works best on a small, contained problem: one chipped corner, a narrow gap, an edge that has worn unevenly, a single stained spot. It also suits you if you want to try a change without committing to something permanent, since little or no enamel is removed.

It's a poor fit when a tooth is badly broken down, or when your bite puts heavy force on the spot being repaired. It's also the wrong tool if you want one uniform change across many teeth. Resin won't lighten with whitening either, so if whitening is in your plans we do that first and match the resin to the new shade. Active decay or gum disease is treated before any cosmetic work.

That is where the other options come in. Veneers are stronger and more stain resistant, and they hold up better over a larger change across several teeth. A crown covers an entire tooth that is badly damaged, which is a different problem from a cosmetic one. We recommend the lightest option that will meet your goals, and we will tell you when bonding is not it.

Resin stains and chips more easily than porcelain, so habits matter more here than with other work. Biting your nails, chewing ice, and opening packages with your teeth are what break a bonded edge, and coffee, tea, red wine, and tobacco are what dull the color over a few years.

Keep up your regular cleanings, because a polish at the hygiene visit does a lot to bring the surface back. Brush and floss normally. There is nothing special to buy. If a bonded edge starts to feel rough under your tongue, that is worth a look rather than a wait.

Bonding typically lasts 4 to 8 years, and where it sits in your mouth and what you do with it decide which end of that you land on. The good news is that it is repairable. A chip in bonding can usually be touched up or rebuilt without starting the whole tooth again.

What bonding costs depends on how many teeth are involved and how much shaping each one needs. It is usually the least expensive of the cosmetic options, which is part of why we suggest it whenever it will do the job. The starting figure is on our pricing page, and since a quote depends on the tooth count, you get yours in writing at the consultation rather than over the phone.

Insurance sometimes contributes when bonding repairs a damaged tooth, while purely cosmetic bonding often is not covered. Coverage varies by policy, and we can check your benefits before anything is scheduled. The estimate shows what is claimed and what is left for you.

Avora Dental is on State Road 436 in Altamonte Springs, and we see cosmetic patients from Longwood, Winter Park, Maitland, and Casselberry. Request a consultation, bring the tooth that is bothering you, and we will show you what bonding can and cannot do for it.