Tooth Bonding

Bonding is a cosmetic treatment for teeth that involves placing tooth colored bonding material directly to the surface of the tooth using resin.

First the tooth is prepared by slightly etching the enamel. This is done in order to give the bonding material “mechanical retention” allowing the bonding material to adhere to the tooth properly.

Then the bonding material is applied, shaped and sculpted. A ultraviolet “laser” light is used to harden the resin material. When the process is complete the tooth is polished to a high shine.

Bonding is also used now for “fillings.” In fact, it is favored over the old silver (amalgam) fillings because the bonding resin can be matched to the rest of your tooth color. The downside to bonding, is the expense.

Bonding is more expensive to silver. The bonding material is also porous making it a poor choice for smokers as it will yellow. This is considered a permanent procedure because of removing small amounts of the natural tooth enamel.