Houston Dental Bonding

Here is an illustration of what direct dental bonding can do. The composite resin is bonded onto the tooth. It takes some artistic talent for the cosmetic dentist to perfectly match the color, translucency, and shape of the tooth. The result is then polished to look exactly like tooth enamel.

There are two basic cosmetic dentistry techniques that can be used to add to the shape or substance of your teeth: direct techniques and indirect techniques.

• With an indirect technique, the material used is usually porcelain, and it is shaped in a dental laboratory and then bonded to your teeth.
• The term “dental bonding” is usually used to refer to a direct technique, where the dentist hand sculpts a dental bonding resin that is bonded to your teeth. A direct technique, like dental bonding, would take one appointment.
• An indirect technique, since it requires a laboratory step, would ordinarily take two appointments.

Are You a Candidate for Dental Bonding?

There are several types of smile defects that are best handled with dental bonding.

• Spots or chips on front teeth
• Small gaps between the teeth when you are otherwise happy with the shape and color of your teeth
• Emergency tooth repairs
• Smile makeovers when time is an issue, so that it needs to be done in one appointment

Composite bonding material isn’t as hard as porcelain, so it would require a little more post-operative care by the patient. Be careful not to bite metal objects. Don’t use an abrasive toothpaste, and at your regular checkups and cleanings, it may require a little touch-up polishing.

Call our Houston cosmetic dentists today to schedule your complimentary consultation for dental bonding.