What Are the Benefits of Dental Bonding Procedures?
Dental bonding is a process of attaching a dental appliance to a natural tooth. It is a common process in dental works that ensures that foreign objects can securely be attached to teeth, to improve their function and appearance.
More About Dental Bonding Procedures
The procedure involves the application of a tooth-colored resin over the surface of the tooth. The material is then hardened using lasers or ultraviolet light. This process is majorly used for cosmetic purposes, to help cover some flaws in teeth. However, the bonding process has proven helpful for attaching other dental appliances like dental crowns and veneers.
What Conditions Can Be Corrected with Dental Bonding?
The beauty of dental bonding is that it is a versatile procedure. It can be used to correct many dental issues, including:
- Decayed tooth – the resin material can be used to fill cavities like would dental fillings. They are a cosmetic alternative to other types of dental fillings, particularly amalgams.
- Cracked and chipped teeth – they can be used to repair the look and feel of a cracked tooth by covering the crack.
- Exposed tooth root – dental bonding can be used to protect the part of a tooth’s root that has been exposed, say, through gum recession.
- Discolored teeth – dental bonding can cover up the stains in a tooth, improving its cosmetic appearance.
- Misshapen teeth – the shape of a tooth can be rectified to look fuller, longer and more proportional, through dental bonding.
- Closing spaces between teeth – this is applicable for spaces that are caused by orthodontic problems, rather than missing teeth.
Dental Bonding vs Veneers
The similarities between dental bonding and oral veneers are very vivid, especially in the types of conditions, they both can correct. Even then, they are not the same thing.
Dental veneers feature thin shell-like porcelain materials that are attached to the front surfaces of teeth to improve their appearance. Ideally, a dental veneer is applied to the entire front surface of a tooth. As for dental bonding, the application of the resin material is only to the specific affected area. This means that it will often be applied to a small portion of the tooth that needs to be fixed.
Further, dental bonding is highly used for dental emergencies because its application does not require much time. As for dental veneers, you will require several dental appointments as you await the manufacture of your veneers. Of the two, dental veneers are stronger than dental bonding procedures.
Dental Bonding: Advantages & Disadvantages
Considering the advantages and disadvantages of dental bonding procedures is the best way to ascertain whether you would prefer the treatment or not.
Advantages of Dental Bonding
- It is a simple procedure – you will only need one dental visit to have your teeth fixed.
- It is convenient for dental emergencies – when you need a quick fix, dental bonding is the best procedure for you.
- It is one of the least expensive procedures – given it only requires the application of a putty-like material that is hardened with laser technology, the procedure is not expensive.
- It is a non-invasive procedure – when compared to dental crowns and veneers, dental bonding is the least invasive. It requires a very little amount of space to properly bond on your tooth. This means that you retain a lot of your tooth’s natural structure.
- It is painless – local anesthesia is not even needed for the procedure. Only when filling a decayed tooth will the dental bonding need local anesthesia.
Disadvantages of Dental Bonding
- It is not as stain-resistant as dental crowns are – patients of dental bonding procedures are more likely to get their teeth stained than those of dental crowns.
- It is not as strong as dental veneers or dental crowns.
- It does not last as long as other restorative treatments like dental fillings, veneers or crowns.
- It can chip or break the tooth – if you are not careful with ha doing your teeth, the hardened resin material can break or chip off your natural tooth.