Dental Bonding: A Fast and Easy Restorative Solution

As a cosmetic dentist, we realize many people have not heard of dental bonding. It is more common to discuss restorative solutions like dental crowns or dental veneers. Still, bonding is one of the most affordable, convenient, and fast restorations you can get. If you have cracked or chipped a tooth, this is one way to restore it in a single visit to our Santa Cruz dental office. For people on a time crunch or being budget-conscious, this is an excellent solution to consider.

Here is how dental bonding works:

The process of dental bonding is fairly simplistic, but it takes the skill of a cosmetic dentist to ensure it looks natural. A dental lab will create most dental restorations (crowns and veneers, for example) in a dental lab by a skilled technician. The lab tech creates these restorations using measurements and an impression of the patient's mouth. They have time to craft a restoration the exact size and shape it needs to be and make any adjustments if necessary.

The bonding process works without the help of a dental lab, and the dentist is the one who shapes the material in-office. This makes it important to select a dentist who performs this procedure regularly and can do it well. When you come in for dental bonding, your tooth will be cleaned and then slightly roughened. Your enamel will remain in place, so this is a non-invasive treatment. After it has been roughened, a moisturizing solution will be applied.

Next, we will place the dental bonding material onto the tooth, and the dentist will shape it in place. We will shape the material into a beautifully-shaped tooth that looks entirely natural. Once complete, we will harden the material using a special dental light. We will also create a shade that matches the natural teeth to further ensure it blends in. We can complete the process can be fairly quickly, in less than an hour per tooth. As a result, you can come in for a restoration and leave with a completed one that same day.

What dental bonding can do for you:

Since bonding material can be shaped in place, it is incredibly versatile and also strong. It can restore the structure of your tooth if the tooth becomes cracked or chipped. It can also be used to cover dark stains when a teeth whitening treatment is not enough to remove them. As a cosmetic dentist, we even use bonding material to close small gaps in between the teeth. This means you can benefit from a drastic improvement to your smile, without needing to wear braces for months or going through a lengthy cosmetic treatment process. We can even use bonding material as a way to change the shape or size of your teeth in combination with contouring. Given the versatility and convenience of dental bonding, we highly recommend it as a treatment solution. To learn more, call us at (831) 580-1141 and schedule an appointment.