Composite bonding is a quick, affordable, and minimally invasive cosmetic dentistry procedure that can help improve the look of your smile. With advanced composite materials that match the color of your natural teeth, bonding can fix chips, gaps, stains, and more – often in just one visit. Read on for everything you need to know about getting composite bonded veneers.
What Exactly Is Composite Bonding?
Dental bonding utilizes tooth-colored composite resin material and intense high-powered light to adhere thin shells or fillings onto the front surface of teeth. It works similarly to white fillings but uses the composite material to not just repair teeth but also enhance their aesthetic appearance.
The composite bonding procedure requires very little removal of existing tooth enamel, unlike dental veneers or crowns. This conservational dentistry approach adheres a molded resin shell over top of the outer layer with a dental bonding adhesive to seamlessly improve chips, gaps, discoloration, uneven shapes, and other cosmetic flaws.
Common Cosmetic Uses for Composite Bonding
Composite bonding has grown exponentially in popularity as a faster, more affordable alternative to traditional dental veneers. The thin, shell-like resin material seamlessly matches the surrounding tooth color and texture when properly molded and cured on the outer enamel layer. Dentists most often utilize bonding for:
- Fixing chips or cracks in front teeth
- Reshaping uneven teeth for symmetry
- Closing minor to moderate gaps between teeth
- Covering intrinsic stains or white spots
- Concealing exposed tooth roots
- Repairing decayed teeth before the nerve
Benefits of Composite Tooth Bonding
From aesthetics to preservation to cost and convenience, composite bonding provides quite a few advantages over other tooth appearance correction methods:
- Far less removal of healthy tooth needed ● Resin color closely matches surrounding shade
● Minimally invasive procedure with no anesthesia ● Finished in as little as one dental visit
● Costs significantly less than dental veneers ● Can combine with teeth whitening for a brighter smile
The durability of dental bonding varies from 3-10 years before needing replacement depending on location in the mouth and patient habits like teeth grinding. But when bonding does show signs of wear, chips or stains over time, the composite material can be easily repaired, added onto, or fully replaced in localized areas to refresh your smile.
Who Makes a Good Candidate for Composite Bonding?
Virtually anyone unhappy with small aesthetic flaws or damage to their front teeth can benefit from composite bonding enhancement. Dental bonding offers high satisfaction rates across the board. But ideal candidates include:
- Those with minor to moderate tooth flaws needing improvement ● Patients wanting subtler enhancements vs major smile makeover
● Teens and younger patients still growing permanent teeth ● Individuals looking to avoid a temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD or TMJ) symptoms often caused by veneers ● Patients desiring a faster, more affordable cosmetic treatment plan ● Those with decay reaching the inner layer of enamel but not into dentin core ● People who grind teeth at night requiring frequent repair of chips
The Composite Bonding Process Step-By-Step
Getting stunning yet natural-looking bonded composite veneers takes just a few in-office steps:
- Preparation – The teeth area to be bonded is cleaned and lightly roughened for optimal adhesion.
- Shade Matching – Composite material that identically matches your enamel color, translucency, and texture is chosen. A bonding putty takes exact tooth impressions to create properly fitting shells.
- Bonding & Reshaping – The dental bonding adhesive is applied followed by an evenly shaped and contoured composite placed over teeth.
- UV Light Curing – An intense special UV light completely cures and dries bonding material to secure the enhancement in just 30 seconds to a minute per tooth.
- Finishing – Your dentist carefully shapes, contours, and polishes bonding for seamless integration and sheen with surrounding natural teeth.
Over one to three visits depending on several teeth, your smile is beautifully improved with minimally invasive bonded restorations that look and feel like your own.
How Much Does Composite Bonding Cost?
A major appeal of dental bonding vs alternatives is the very affordable pricing. Most dentists charge between £150 to £200 per tooth making entire smile makeovers cost just £1000 to £1500 or so. Compare that to porcelain veneers at £500 to £1,200 apiece!
Not only is the composite material itself cheaper, but unlike crowns or veneers, little drill work is required to remove less tooth structure. That means you save money over your lifetime since bonding doesn’t lead to nerve damage or dental problems down the road.
Consult an expert cosmetic dentist about the exact composite bonding cost for your goals. Some offer free initial exams and quotes outlining needed treatment areas and pricing. With many financing plans available getting your dream makeover doesn’t have to break the bank!
Weigh Your Best Smile Improvement Options
In the end, while often cheaper, composite bonding may not work for all cases of broken teeth, gaps, or stains. Discuss with your dentist if bonding alone can achieve the cosmetic enhancement you want or if options like porcelain veneers offer longer-lasting results.
But for many seeking subtle yet effective, minimally invasive, and affordable smile transformations – properly done composite bonding creates picture-perfect teeth on any budget. Consult a Chatfield Braces Clinic in Battersea, Invisalign London for top-rated Best Composite bonding London Cheap to see if you qualify for bonded enhancements.