Dental bonding / composite veneering, aka "Chairside Veneering", is a cost-effective procedure to restore minor damage to teeth that have been chipped, broken, or decayed. Chairside Veneering is also used to reshape a tooth and to fill in gaps between the teeth.
The best use for bonding is to repair slightly chipped, discolored, or misaligned teeth. Bonding involves placing tooth-colored composite material onto the tooth. The advantage of bonding is that it is inexpensive and a conservative way to restore a tooth. Bonding will discolor eventually and is easier to break.
Candidates include: front teeth that are rotated, undersized, severely chipped, heavily discolored, decayed, or have fillings that are failing.
It is not uncommon for a tooth or group of teeth to have a combination of these problems. Depending on the severity of the problem, composite bonding and veneering may be an option.
An advantage of this service is that artistic control is directly under the dentist's control. Appropriate colored bonding resins are chosen by the dentist with the patient’s input and can be viewed on the tooth as a trial “mock-up.” The procedure can be frequently accomplished in one treatment visit, as bonding involves the dental laboratory.
The dental bonding material is a tooth-colored resin applied to the tooth and then hardened with a special ultraviolet light. This process permanently "bonds" the material to the tooth.
Dental bonding is used for many reasons, including the attachment of bridges, orthodontic appliances, and white fillings to restore teeth.
Dental Veneering Procedure Time Frame
- Time to complete: Dental bonding takes about 30 to 60 minutes per tooth.
- Doc Kelly will match the tooth-colored resin material to the color of your tooth.
- Procedure: The tooth is cleaned and dried. The resin is then applied, molded, and smoothed to the desired shape. The bonding material is then hardened with ultraviolet light. The hardened material is then smoothed and polished to match the rest of the tooth surface.
Dental bonding disadvantages include its tendency to stain over time and not being as durable as other cosmetic dental procedures. Its principal advantages are that it is fast, can be matched to the color and sheen of the tooth, and, if necessary, dental bonding can be easily repaired.
Dental bonding / composite veneering is used to:
- Repair minor dental decay
- Repair chipped or cracked teeth
- Improve the appearance of discolored teeth
- Close spaces between teeth
- Make teeth look longer
- Change the shape of teeth
- Protect exposed tooth roots when gums recede