At Admiral House Dental Practice, we recommend cosmetic bonding to repair small discolourations, chips, cracks and gaps in teeth. Visit our Hertfordshire dentist for a consultation and learn how cosmetic composite bonding can dramatically improve your smile.
0% finance available on treatments. Click here to learn more.
How Cosmetic Bonding Can Help
Also called bonded restoration, cosmetic bonding is a dental procedure that improves the look of healthy teeth. Instead of placing a crown or veneer, cosmetic bonding is applied to a small portion of the affected tooth.
Cosmetic Bonding is used to fix several minor dental issues, including:
- Chips
- Cracks
- Discolourations
- Gaps between teeth
- Lengthening a tooth that’s shorter than surrounding teeth
This outpatient procedure is safe and quick, and can help your overall oral health by addressing issues now rather than letting them worsen. When we use cosmetic bonding, it helps patients chew properly and prevent further damage to a broken tooth or surrounding teeth.
Candidates for Cosmetic Teeth Bonding
As with any dental procedure at our practice, we outline all of your options before starting teeth bonding treatment. We recommend cosmetic tooth bonding to patients with teeth that have minor injuries and aren’t severely decayed. In situations where the teeth have more damage and sufficient decay, we will advise patients to consider a veneer, crown, or other treatment instead.
Patients interested in whitening their teeth should do so before we bond the tooth. We warn patients that the bond won’t change colour to match the rest of the teeth if teeth whitening treatment is completed after bonding treatment. Whitening gels won’t harm composite resin, but they won’t change its colour either. If you are happy with the colour of your teeth, there is no reason to delay cosmetic bonding treatment.
Composite Teeth Bonding Material
Our cosmetic bonding procedure uses composite resin to repair teeth. Composite resin is beneficial for this treatment as it can be colour matched to your natural teeth. Our dentists can shape the material to look like it’s part of your tooth. This applies not only with chipped teeth, but composite resin can be used to build up teeth and fill between them too. Composite resin is also versatile enough to paint over a stained tooth to match the colour of the surrounding teeth. Overall it’s a tough material that lasts a long time as long as it’s taken care of properly.
The Composite Bonding Process at Admiral House
Patients appreciate that cosmetic bonding is a painless procedure. As such, it does not usually require anaesthesia. Anaesthesia may be required for patients who also require a filling or chip a tooth near the nerve. In addition to being painless, composite bonding is also an efficient appointment, with treatments completed in only one dental visit.
To start, we carefully select a composite resin colour that’s as close as possible to the colour of your natural teeth. Dentists have a colour chart, ensuring we make the best possible match. We then place a thin, clear plastic film around the affected area, protecting the surrounding teeth from the composite resin. We apply a mild chemical to make the tooth feel a little rough. The textured surface makes it easy for the liquid bonding agent and composite to stick. Composite resin is applied in layers. We put the material on the tooth, shape it, then dry and harden each layer with a UV light.
Once the final layer is cured, we shape and polish the cosmetic bonding, leaving you with a tooth that looks natural and feels smooth.
Caring for Teeth Following Cosmetic Bonding Treatment
Composite resin is quite strong, but nothing is as strong as your natural tooth enamel. With this in mind, it’s important to care for teeth treated with cosmetic bonding, ensuring long-lasting results. Here are some tips to help the composite bonding last:
- Avoid chewing on hard objects, like ice cubes or pens
- Hard foods and hard candies are best avoided as these foods can damage a cosmetic bond
- Maintain the long-term colour of a cosmetic bond by drinking less coffee or red wine or give up smoking
The Pros and Cons of Cosmetic Composite Bonding
As with all treatments, there are things to think about before proceeding.
Pros of Teeth Bonding
- A faster treatment than placing a porcelain veneer
- Often less expensive than porcelain veneers
- Quick and easy to repair if the bond accidentally chips
- With proper care, a bond can last up to a decade before it needs replacing
Cons of Teeth Bonding
- Composite bonding material is not as strong as porcelain used in some veneers
- Composite resin is more porous than porcelain, so it’s prone to staining after several years of use
- Quality work requires a skilled dentist for a seamless result (our team of professionals generate excellent results for patients)
The Difference Between Cosmetic Bonding and Veneers
Cosmetic bonding and veneers are similar treatments. They are both used to improve the appearance of teeth by changing their colour, shape, or spacing. The treatment we recommend depends on your specific needs and severity of any damage to the teeth. Veneers are applied to the entire front surface of a tooth, which requires some grinding of the tooth surface for a proper fit. Unlike veneers, cosmetic bonding is applied to a smaller portion of the tooth, rather than the entire surface. In composite bonding, we don’t need to grind down your teeth to get the desired result. We also offer teeth whitening for those looking to improve their smile with minimal invasion.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the composite bonding process take?
Here at Admiral House Dental Practice, we prefer not to put a time limit on perfection.
Every case is unique, which means that treatment timeframes vary massively across the board.
The time it takes will depend on several factors – including if you need prior treatments to ensure your teeth are suitable for composite bonding and how many teeth are being treated.
In most cases, the composite bonding treatment is complete within one appointment – with the procedure taking around 2-3 hours.
For a more accurate idea of how long your composite bonding treatment could take, get in touch with our team to book your consultation today!
How much does composite bonding cost?
Composite bonding is one of the more affordable options to revive moderately damaged teeth, but the cost of treatment varies from patient to patient.
Once our dentists have fully assessed your case, we’ll be able to give you a more accurate price, but for a rough idea of how much it would cost, our composite bonding prices range from £94-£188 per tooth.
Here at Admiral House Dental Practice, we believe that everybody should be able to achieve the smile of their dreams with the help of top-notch dental care – which is why we offer a range of affordable 0% finance payment plans.
You could be able to borrow from £350-£25,000 and spread the cost of your treatment over monthly, interest-free repayments whilst you flaunt your brand-new smile. What’s not to love?
If you have any questions or concerns about finances, we’re here to help.
Give our friendly reception team a call on 01442 863 204 or send your enquiry by email to [email protected], and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Is composite bonding reversible?
Absolutely!
Whether you’re unhappy with your treatment results or want to go all out and prepare your teeth for veneers, the good news is that the process is fully reversible in the majority of cases because it is an additive treatment.
It doesn’t require any of your natural tooth structure to be removed, which means the bonding material can be taken away without causing any damage to your natural enamel.
We remove composite bonding with a special type of sandpaper that’s placed on a small, rapidly rotating disc to file down the materials.
For the most part, your teeth will look exactly as they did before – but may appear less bright or lustrous, since the surface of your enamel must be etched with a mild acid before the bonding procedure.
If you require further information about the composite bonding application or removal process, you’re more than welcome to get in touch with our experts.
How long does composite bonding last?
If it’s cared for well, composite bonding can last for up to five years!
However, because the material isn’t as hard as your natural teeth, it can wear down, chip, break off or get stained. And this can all affect its longevity.
Lots of other things can affect the lifespan of your composite bonding, too – including:
- The location of the bonding
- The health and strength of the teeth where bonding was applied
- Your lifestyle and habits
When you visit us here at Admiral House for composite bonding treatment, our dentists will provide you with proper care instructions to ensure your new smile lasts as long as possible.
BOOK A CONSULTATION TODAY
If you would like to make an appointment, please fill out the form below. Alternatively, you can call (01442) 863204 or email the practice at [email protected] and we will be pleased to arrange a convenient time for you.
