Providing quality restorative and cosmetic dentistry in Durham, Raleigh, and Goldsboro.
At Carolina Dental Arts in North Carolina, our top priority is helping you maintain a strong, healthy smile. When your teeth are in great shape, they handle chewing, biting, and smiling effortlessly. But when enamel breaks down, a tooth chips, or decay sets in, your smile and bite suffer. Dental bonding effectively repairs chipped or damaged teeth, restoring their normal function and improving their appearance.
What Is Dental Bonding?
Dental bonding, also called teeth bonding or composite bonding, is a restorativeandcosmetic dental procedure performed by your dentist at Carolina Dental Arts. The treatment focuses on repairing cracked, broken, or chipped teeth. The natural-looking, tooth-colored bonding material also helps improve the appearance of your teeth. Your dentist can also use this technique to close gaps between teeth or lengthen a shorter tooth, creating a more balanced smile.
The procedure uses a composite resin that bonds to your natural teeth. This versatile material not only enhances the appearance of your teeth by filling gaps or correcting cosmetic flaws but also blends naturally with them.
Many patients choose bonding to close spaces or repair cracks, enhancing the natural beauty of their smiles. Beyond aesthetics, composite bonding plays a crucial role in oral health. It restores normal chewing function and helps prevent further damage to your teeth.
Is Dental Bonding Right for Me?
We recommend dental bonding for minor dental issues. It’s not suitable for heavily decayed teeth. In cases where decay is too advanced to salvage the tooth, we typically recommend extracting it and replacing it with a dental implant and crown. This solution closely mimics the function and appearance of your natural teeth.
Tooth bonding is most effective if you’re satisfied with your current tooth color. If you’re considering teeth whitening, remember that while this process can enhance the color of your natural teeth, it does not affect the composite material used in bonding. Therefore, it’s best to complete any whitening treatments before undergoing composite bonding to ensure a uniform color.
The Composite Bonding Process
Dental bonding is a quick and pain-free process widely used in modern dentistry. At your free consultation, we will discuss your goals and preferences, explain the procedure, and plan your treatment.
Before beginning your procedure, we will choose a composite resin color that most closely matches your natural tooth color. After preparing the composite material with this color match, we will etch the surface of your affected tooth. This step prepares the surface for the bonding agent, making it easier for the composite material to stick.
If the composite resin is used to fill a cavity, we can use local anesthesia to keep you comfortable before placing the filling.
We apply the composite resin to the tooth and sculpt it to restore the tooth and achieve the desired cosmetic result. Finally, we use a UV light to dry and harden the bonding material.
Dental bonding is very safe and efficient. The entire process only takes minutes and involves few risks. Composite resin is also easily repaired if damaged.
Caring for Your Bonded Teeth
While composite resin is a durable material, you’ll need to care for these restorations just like you care for the rest of your smile.
It is important to avoid some habits that can damage your composite bonding, such as:
- Chewing on pens or pencils
- Crunching ice cubes
- Biting into hard candies
- Consuming staining foods and drinks
- Smoking
These actions can break or stain the bonded material, undoing your beautiful smile enhancement.
Additionally, you should practice good oral hygiene by brushing twice daily and flossing once per day. Regular six-month checkups at Carolina Dental Arts will ensure that any developing issues are caught early and your dental health remains in top condition. However, if you notice problems with your bonding or break one of these restorations, contact us right away.
We Can Repair Your Teeth With Dental Bonding
Carolina Dental Arts dentists perform dental bonding at each of our four convenient locations. In fact, this is one of the most common procedures performed in our dental offices. Bonding is a reliable way to address cracked, chipped, or gapped teeth. It reconstructs tooth surfaces and fills your cavity after tooth decay. This painless restoration lasts a long time and helps you maintain pride in your smile.
If you are interested in dental bonding, we invite you to schedule a visit. We work hard to provide the best possible dental care, including bonding with precise color matching. If tooth bonding isn’t the best option for you, we offer various other methods to ensure your smile is healthy and beautiful!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does dental bonding hurt?
Dental bonding is generally a painless procedure. Most patients do not require anesthesia unless the bonding is being used to fill a decayed tooth or repair an area near the nerve. The process involves lightly etching the surface of the tooth to help the bonding material adhere, which is not painful. The composite resin is then applied, shaped, and hardened with a special light.
You might experience slight sensitivity in the treated tooth after the procedure, but this should subside completely in a few days.
How much does dental bonding cost?
Dental bonding costs vary based on factors like the extent of the damage and the number of teeth treated. Generally, tooth bonding is more affordable than treatments like veneers and crowns.
Insurance plans sometimes cover dental bonding, especially if it is needed for structural reasons rather than just cosmetic enhancements. It’s always a good idea to check with your insurance provider to determine your exact coverage. If you need financial assistance, we also partner with dental financing companies to offer flexible plans that fit various budgets.
How long does dental bonding last?
Dental bonding typically lasts three to 10 years, depending on various factors such as the location of the bonding on the tooth, your oral hygiene habits, and lifestyle choices.
For example, habits like biting your nails, chewing on hard objects, or using your teeth as tools can shorten the lifespan of the bonding. Additionally, consuming staining foods and beverages like coffee, tea, and red wine can affect its appearance.
Regular dental checkups and cleanings help maintain the bond’s appearance and durability. Proper care, including good oral hygiene practices and avoiding excessive force on bonded teeth, can extend its lifespan.
Our Locations
Durham
415 Dunstan Avenue
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 683-1847 View Location
Glenwood South
301 Glenwood Ave, Suite 210
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 670-4944 View Location
Goldsboro
2720 Graves Drive
Goldsboro, NC 27534
(919) 778-0098 View Location
New Bern Ave
3110 New Bern Ave, Suite 102
Raleigh, NC 27610
(984) 242-0568 View Location
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