If you chip a permanent tooth, consider dental bonding. Dental bonding can prevent further damage to the tooth and restore your smile. At Impressive Dental Care in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, Lea Planzos, DMD, MS, Penny Planzos, DMD, MS, and Thomas Planzos, DMD, provide dental bonding to people of all ages. To make an appointment, call the office today or book online.
What is dental bonding?
Dental bonding is a cosmetic dentistry procedure. It uses tooth-colored material like composite resin to repair tooth damage. Dental bonding provides a quick and easy way to improve the shape, size, and color of a tooth. Treatment takes less than an hour and offers lasting results.
Why might I need dental bonding?
Impressive Dental Care uses dental bonding to:
- Repair chips and cracks in the teeth
- Cover up tooth discoloration
- Close gaps between the teeth
- Change the shape of your teeth
Your Impressive Dental Care provider might also recommend dental bonding to replace metal fillings with a more natural-looking alternative or protect tooth roots exposed by receding gums.
Are veneers and dental bonding the same thing?
Veneers and dental bonding are similar, but they aren’t the same thing. Veneers are thin shells of porcelain bonded to the front of your permanent teeth. Before receiving veneers, your Impressive Dental Care provider removes a thin layer of enamel from each tooth.
Dental bonding doesn’t require enamel removal, is entirely reversible, and doesn’t damage your teeth. To maintain your results, you’ll need touchups every few years.
What happens at a dental bonding appointment?
At Impressive Dental Care, a dental bonding appointment begins with a review of your dental records and discussing your cosmetic goals. Your provider does an oral exam and takes dental X-rays.
After assessing your tooth damage, your Impressive Dental Care provider uses a shade guide to find a composite resin that matches your enamel. They roughen the surface of your tooth and apply the composite resin material. The resin has a putty-like consistency that’s easy to mold.
Your Impressive Dental Care provider molds the material into the desired shape and hardens it with a curing light. After the resin dries, your dentist trims off the excess material and polishes your teeth.
Is dental bonding painful?
Dental bonding is safe and usually well-tolerated. After the anesthesia wears off, you can experience some increased tooth sensitivity. But these symptoms should go away within a day or two. If they make it hard to bite or chew, take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine like ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
Make an appointment at Impressive Dental Care today by calling the office or booking online to learn if you can benefit from dental bonding.