Dental Bonding in Bayside, NY
What is dental bonding?
Dental bonding is a procedure that applies a tooth-colored composite resin made of plastic to a chipped, fractured, decayed, or discolored tooth. It can usually be done in one visit. It is called bonding because the resin literally bonds to your problem tooth.
What’s it for?
Bonding is considered one of the easiest and most affordable cosmetic dental procedures. The resin in bonding is able to be shaped and polished, so it matches surrounding teeth. It is usually used for cosmetic purposes to help improve the physical appearance of a chipped or discolored tooth. It is also used for closing spaces in between teeth, making teeth appear longer, or changing the shape and color of a tooth.
Sometimes bonding is used instead of amalgam fillings or used to protect part of a tooth’s root that has been exposed due to a receding gum.
Prep Work
Preparation is unnecessary for bonding. You usually don’t even need anesthesia unless the bonding is used for filling a decayed tooth.
How is it done?
Aram Cazazian at Bayside Family Dentistry in Bayside, NY will pick out a shade guide that he’ll use to select composite resin color so it will match the rest of your teeth. Once he has chosen this color, he will etch the surface of your tooth to roughen it up. The tooth will be then coated lightly with conditioning liquid, so the resin will better stick to the tooth.
Once your tooth is prepared, the dentist will begin applying the resin. It is molded and then smoothed down until it is the appropriate shape. It is then hardened with a laser or ultraviolet light.
Once the bonding has hardened, the dentist will start trimming and shaping it. Then he will polish the material, so it matches the sheen from the rest of your teeth. It usually takes 30 to 60 minutes to finish the procedure. If you want more than one tooth done, you might need to have several visits.
Remember that certain substances, such as tea, coffee, and cigarette smoke can stain the resin, same as they could with normal teeth. Remember to continue to have your teeth cleaned by Bayside Family Dentistry.