Downtown Dental Excellence offers

Dental Bonding

Nobody likes to feel self-conscious when they smile. Still, our teeth sometimes take damage that can be unsightly. Instead of hiding your smile behind your lips, though, consider dental bonding as a way to reclaim your smile.

Choose Downtown Dental Excellence for your Dental Bonding today. 

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(281) 592-0597

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What is Dental Bonding?

Dental bonding is a simple dental procedure that involves a bonding resin being attached to a tooth, covering up any unsightly damage that may have occurred to the tooth.

What Issues Does Dental Bonding Resolve?

Dental bonding is excellent for solving a variety of cosmetic issues. Some of these include:

  • A surface crack in a patient’s tooth.
  • A chip in a patient’s tooth.
  • Gaps in between teeth.
  • Discoloration of a patient’s tooth.

Because bonding is a cosmetic procedure, it also helps to resolve issues that go beyond a patient’s smile. Dental bonding can help to boost a patient’s self-esteem and confidence, allowing them to smile the way they did before the crack, chip, or discoloration occurred. If a patient has always had a gap in their teeth, bonding provides a solution to an issue that may have been bothering them for years.

Dental bonding is perfect for teeth that only need a slight adjustment to look absolutely perfect.

Is Dental Bonding Necessary?

While many people get dental bonding for cosmetic reasons, there are actually oral health care reasons for having bonding done. Chips in teeth can eventually damage other, healthy teeth—as well as the tongue. Cracks in teeth can actually continue to grow, which can lead to infections and tooth decay. While bonding may not be as good a solution to more severe dental problems as veneers, they can help to stop certain cracks and chips from worsening.

What is the Difference Between Veneers and Bonding?

Dental bonding and dental veneers are often confused with each other because the two procedures are very similar. Still, there are a few differences between the two that make them unique procedures. Dental bonding is a simple procedure, and can often be completed in one session. Veneers, on the other hand, are more in-depth—and will often take multiple visits.

Veneers involve preparing a tooth by removing enamel from the tooth. Once the preparation of the tooth is complete, the dentist will make a mold of the tooth, which will then be used to create the veneer. On the next visit, your dentist will check to make sure that the veneer matches the tooth it is being placed on and the surrounding teeth. If everything looks okay, they will finish the placement of the tooth.

What is the Dental Bonding Process?

The bonding process is much simpler than the process of placing a veneer. Like with any other procedure, a trip to the dentist will be necessary for a consultation. While dental bonding is generally a cosmetic procedure, you may not want to simply wait until your next regularly scheduled cleaning and checkup to speak with your dentist, as chips and cracks can be detrimental to your oral health. If your teeth are damaged, set an appointment with your dentist before your next regular visit.

Before the bonding begins, the dentist will make sure the tooth is clean and dry. They will then apply the adhesive. This helps the resin to bond with the tooth. The resin itself also has a glue-like substance to ensure the appliance bonds well to the tooth. The dentist will also make sure to pick a color that matches the tooth that the resin is being attached to and the surrounding teeth. The goal is for the bonding to look as natural as possible.

Once the resin is bonded, a special light or even a razor will be used to make sure the compound hardens and stays in place. From there, the dentist will do any trimming or shaping needed to ensure that the bonding resin looks great.

The full dental bonding procedure should take around 1-2 hours, depending on the severity of the damage that is being repaired and if there are multiple teeth that are being repaired.

Call Downtown Dental Excellence Today!

(281) 592-0597

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How Long Will it Last?

While dental bonding does not last forever, if it is properly cared for, it can actually last for years. It is important to note that the bonding material may begin to discolor over time. For more severe damage, the bonding resin may not hold as well for longer periods of time. If the original problem gets worse—like a cracked tooth continuing to crack—other options may need to be considered. These options may include veneers, or even dental crowns.

Am I a Candidate?

As with any dental procedure, different options for tooth repair will need to be discussed with your dentist. Although dental bonding may be a more affordable option than veneers or crowns, bonding may not be enough to resolve more severe issues. Your dentist will take a look at your tooth or teeth and let you know what repair options are available.

While certain smaller cracks and chips may not seem that severe, it is still important to see a dentist when they occur. If the crack is more severe, set up an emergency appointment with a dentist as soon as possible.

Dental bonding is an excellent, cost-effective solution for minor cracks, chips, and discoloration in your teeth.

Costs Involved

Like with any form of cosmetic dentistry, the price of dental bonding depends on a variety of factors, like how much damage needs to be covered up and if there are multiple teeth involved. Generally, the bonding process is relatively inexpensive, though. Most dental bonding procedures cost around $150 to $400 per tooth. While you can check with your insurance company to see if the procedure is at least partially covered, it’s important to consider that dental bonding is generally seen as a cosmetic procedure. Because of this, you may have to pay out of pocket.

Still, there are health benefits to dental bonding, so your insurance may cover dental bonding as an oral health procedure.