Bonding - What is it?

White filling material can be bonded to natural teeth to change the shape and colour and to remove irregularities. This is an especially valuable treatment method where tooth structure has been lost due to wear or acid erosion.

Bonding can significantly improve the appearance and function of teeth at relatively low cost in terms of tooth substance and finance. The main advantage of bonding is that it does not involve the destruction of the tooth tissue as opposed to crowning which involves drilling away significant amounts of tooth tissue.

The process involves etching the teeth with acid and using sophisticated adhesives to bond the material to the teeth. The filling material is sculpted to the desired shape and then cured with a blue plasma light and polished.

Bonding can last for years but the bonded teeth may need to be polished or repaired from time to time as staining/chipping can occur.

Fig.1 Patient before
Fig.2 Patient showing lower teeth
Fig.3 Patient showing interior wear
Fig.4 Patient after bonding treatment