Does Bonding Work on Front Teeth?

Whenever you smile, the teeth at the front are what most people will notice first about your smile appearance. If your front teeth have flaws like misalignment, discoloration, or uneven shape, they can make you self-conscious about your smile. This, in turn, can affect your confidence and prevent you from smiling freely or result in you covering your mouth when smiling. Thanks to composite bonding, these flaws can be corrected.

What is Tooth Bonding?

Dental bonding, also referred to as composite bonding, describes various types of restorations or repairs done on one or multiple teeth with resin, a tooth-colored filling.

Bonding is a cosmetic dentistry procedure that corrects minor dental flaws such as tooth discoloration, staining, yellowing, cracking or chipping, spaces between teeth, and minor cavities.

At Cascade Family Dental, the approach will involve using composite resin to make teeth appear even, whiter, and brighter.

When applying composite resin to your teeth, there are two main approaches our dentist in 95407 area can take. These are:

• Direct bonding – It will involve the direct application of composite material to the patient's teeth in a dental office during a one-time appointment. The teeth are then shaped, and some polishing follows to create a natural-looking smile appearance.
• Indirect tooth bonding – In such cases, your restoration will be crafted and reshaped outside the dental office before they are applied to teeth and will take two appointments. During the first, data and an impression are required to customize your bond, and the second to bond the composite resin shell.

Key Considerations Before the Bonding Procedure

Whatever your reasons for getting dental bonding near you, there are factors you’ll have to consider prior to your procedure. They are:

• Desired tooth color

The composite material used in dental bonding is tooth-colored and comes with a variety of shade that allows users to choose their preference that closely matches their natural teeth shade.

If you are unsatisfied with your teeth' appearance and, by any chance, you are considering whitening treatment in the future, do not carry on with dental bonding. Whiten your teeth before bonding because having your front teeth bonded and then proceeding with teeth whitening will make you disappointed with the results. The composite does not respond to whitening treatments and will therefore stand out when your other teeth become whiter.

• Desired shape

Tooth bonding allows the dentist to beautifully recreate the shape of your front teeth. However, it may not work for you if you want to change the shape of a misaligned tooth. In advanced cases like severe misalignment, other treatments, such as traditional braces, may be recommended.

• Parafunctional habits

This is a habit where one uses things outside their intended purpose or function habitually. A good example is using your teeth for something other than speaking or chewing food, i.e., using your teeth to tear something open. Once you get bonded teeth from a dentist near you, all parafunctional habits need to stop, or you otherwise risk breaking or chipping the bonding material.

• Bruxism

This scientific term refers to grinding or clenching of teeth, which is a common problem for most American adults. A person with bruxism frequently squeezes their jaw muscles with strong forces, constantly subjecting teeth to extreme pressure. It is thus a common occurrence for an individual with bruxism to break, chip, or crack a healthy tooth which raises the possibility of cracking or damaging the composite resin bonded onto teeth.

People who clench/grind teeth, and want to have bonded teeth, are advised to wear a protective nightguard that will protect the bonded teeth from damaging forces.

Benefits of Bonding Your Teeth

Here are some of the benefits of dental bonding:

• It enhances the smile appearance

By correcting your dental flaws, bonding enhances your teeth' aesthetics and smile appearance giving you a confidence boost.

• Combats discoloration

Various factors or activities can contribute to discolored teeth. For instance, frequent intake of drinks like red wine and coffee and smoking. Composite bonding can help get rid of the discoloration restoring your smile.

• Corrects several types of teeth damage.

If your front teeth are flawed either due to trauma or medications, dental bonding can be an option to consider to fix the flaws. This painless and effective procedure is most recommended when dealing with minor cosmetic dental flaws.