The Complete Guide to Dental Bonding Altrock Fabb Dental

Have you been wanting to enhance the appearance of your teeth but don’t want any major dental treatment? Are you unsure about what conservative cosmetic dentistry options you have to pick from? Dr. Christine Altrock and Dr. Brian Fabb, dentists in San Diego, CA, can help create natural-looking smiles with cosmetic dental bonding.

Dental bonding is an aesthetic option that can improve the appearance of teeth with specific concerns, such as tiny chips, small gaps between them, or surface irregularities that detract from your appearance. Our dentists have extensive experience in dental bonding to enhance the looks of their patient’s smiles in a discreet, affordable manner.

Why Consider Getting Dental Bonding

Bonding a tooth is a cost-effective way to improve your smile’s appearance — it’s painless, quick, and minimally invasive. Sometimes, a simple procedure like bonding can eliminate the need to have a more complicated smile makeover. Even if it’s just one tooth that’s causing a problem, bonding can be a great solution.

Here are some of the most common reasons dental bonding is requested:

Correcting slightly misshaped or uneven teeth
Filling in small gaps between your teeth
Covering over chipped enamel
Erasing unusual tooth surfaces, such as pitting and stains

Bonding is also one of the most cost-effective cosmetic services you can find and there’s zero recovery time required.

When is Dental Bonding Recommended?

Dental bonding can be used to restore healthy teeth and correct cosmetic issues that detract from your smile’s appearance. Bonding is possible as long as your tooth structure is sound and there are no active infections. Our San Diego dentists will meet with you to discuss your concerns and recommend the best treatment. We can help you decide if bonding is right for you, depending on how large the area is that needs attention.

How Bonding Works

Dental bonding consists of a tooth-colored composite resin that can be used to fill small gaps and cracks between teeth. It’s similar to the white fillings our dentists use. Our San Diego dentists will lightly roughen your enamel’s outer surface to ensure the composite bonds with it. Then, we will mold it to fit your tooth and match the rest of your smile. After the composite has been properly shaped, we use a UV light to harden or cure it into place.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Dental Bonding

Just like your teeth or other types of dental restorations, bonding can only hold up to so much pressure. Using your teeth to open things, chewing on your fingernails, or grinding your teeth can cause your bonding to come off. We’ll evaluate how your teeth bite together to determine if bonding can work for the areas you’re worried about.

When if dental bonding is the right cosmetic procedure for you, it’s important to remember that areas such as small slivers or tiny chips in the biting edges don’t usually benefit from dental bonding, because there isn’t enough surface area for the composite to stick to. In those situations, it’s usually best to have them buffed or polished out.

What to Expect at Altrock Fabb Dental

Bonding usually only requires one simple visit and usually takes less than an hour from start to finish. Because the bulk of your natural teeth is left intact, numbing may not be necessary. Sometimes, we might need to reduce the thickness of an outer layer of enamel, but if that’s the case you’ll only feel a slight bit of pressure.

Our dentists then match and shape the bonding material to your teeth. As soon as it’s over, you’ll be able to smile in the mirror with a new, healthy-looking tooth.

Is Dental Bonding Right For Me?

Only small areas on healthy teeth are eligible for bonding. Too much bonding material, such as between large gaps in your teeth, can make your smile look asymmetrical and unnatural. Bonding can’t fix a large crack or cavity. If dental damage is severe, it may be possible to get a crown to restore your tooth to its original condition.