4 Reasons to Choose Bonding for a Damaged Tooth

Today, patients with discolored, cracked, chipped, and decayed teeth have an array of tooth repair options. Dental implants, crowns, and veneers are some of the cosmetic dentistry solutions for unsightly teeth and gaps in the smile.

Composite bonding is another method dentists use to repair damaged teeth. The dentist paints a putty-like material over a damaged tooth, allows the material to harden, and shapes it to create a clean, new tooth surface. Bonding has advantages over other cosmetic methods. Look at the four reasons listed here to discover what those advantages are.

1. Bonding Gets You Fast Results

If you plan to attend an upcoming wedding or graduation several months away, you have plenty of time to sort out your dental issues before the event. You can spare a few sessions at the dentist's office for an implant or crown procedure.

However, if you crack a tooth a few days before the nuptials or the graduation ceremony, that's an emergency. You don't want to look like a pirate for posterity in the wedding or graduation photographs. Whether you have an upcoming job interview or vows to exchange, bonding gets your tooth back to normal fast.

In most cases, your dentist can complete a dental bonding procedure in one visit. The procedure takes between 30 to 60 minutes per tooth using a special composite material that looks like real teeth. You can have your smile back in time for your special occasion or important meeting.

2. Bonding Is Not Invasive

Crowns and implants are durable, realistic replacements for damaged and missing teeth. However, when you commit to having an implant, you'll undergo a surgical procedure to screw the implant in place. To put a crown over a damaged tooth, the dentist must file your original tooth down to provide a base for a new crown.

Some patients are not ready for that level of commitment. They may not be able to decide whether a crown or an implant is the best choice for their long-term dental health.

A bonding procedure gives you more time to decide whether you'll eventually have a crown or an implant installed. In the meantime, you can restore a pleasant smile or cap off a rough or decayed space in your bite with the non-invasive composite procedure.

You undergo only minimal preparation for a bonded-tooth procedure. Your dentist will gently abrade the surface of the affected tooth. The slightly roughened surface helps the bonding material attach to the tooth. Your dentist may use gentle abrasion tools or apply a solution to help the bonding material adhere to the tooth's surface.

That's the extent of the preparation. However, clean your teeth at the dentist's office prior to a bonding procedure if you can. The dentist mixes the color of the bonding material to match your teeth. If you have clean teeth when your bonding procedure is done, your bonding material will match the slightly whiter shade.

3. Bonding Is Budget-Friendly

If you definitely want a crown or an implant, but the cost is not in this year's budget, a bonding procedure can brighten your smile until you've arranged for more advanced dental work. Dental bonding procedures can cost between $300 and $600 per tooth, which is far less than more invasive dental work.

If you want to bond a bad tooth, check your dental insurance plan. Some dental policies cover the full cost of dental bonding for certain conditions. Also, autumn is a good time to implement your dental bonding before the year ends.

The simplicity of the bonding process is the secret to its budget-friendly status. You don't need anesthesia, since most patients feel no pain at all during the tooth-bonding session. After abrasion, the dentist applies the composite putty to the tooth. A special light hardens the composite putty before it goes on your tooth.

Once the composite hardens, the dentist shapes, polishes, and buffs the material. After the dentist finishes sculpting your tooth, it looks natural and fits in with its neighboring teeth.

4. Bonded Teeth Look and Feel Natural

Dental composite material looks, feels, and acts like your natural tooth. You can bite and chew normally with a bonded tooth. As long as you avoid chewing on ice or other hard substances with your bonded tooth, the composite material holds up well for years of good looks and function.

Your bonded tooth can last three to seven years when you take proper care of the tooth. Simply brush and floss the bonded tooth just as you do your other teeth.

Your dentist can alter your dental bonding to accommodate more extensive dental work in the future. Also, your dentist can explain how bonded teeth can transition into other types of dental repair work.

Make that cracked, chipped, or stained tooth look great again by contacting Treasured Smiles Adult and Cosmetic Dentistry in New Lenox, Illinois. We use state-of-the-art bonding materials and methods to make your smile shine again in Chicagoland.