Bonding is a highly effective cosmetic dental treatment to address minor cosmetic imperfections in your smile. Teeth that are chipped, have spaces between them, or teeth that you want to change the shape are all reasons to give cosmetic bonding a try. Dr. Hemphill can correct many dental imperfections by applying color-matched resin to your teeth. West Hill Family Dental is happy to take care of all your dental bonding needs in the Rocky Hill CT area.
Cosmetic Bonding
Perfect Your Smile with Cosmetic Bonding
Benefits of Cosmetic Bonding
Cosmetic bonding is more affordable than crowns and veneers and can significantly improve your smile right in the office. No sending away for porcelain tooth restorations. Cosmetic bonding can be completed in just one visit. Major benefits include:
- Correction of rough edges and grooves
- Filling of gaps between teeth
- Repairs chips on the surface of teeth
- Protects sensitive tooth structure from receding gum lines
- A Durable solution to numerous minor dental imperfections
What to Expect from our Cosmetic Bonding Procedure
Dental bonding comes in a large variety of shades and colors. Dr. Hemphill will use a shade guide to find the shade that matches your natural tooth color.
The next step is cleaning your tooth. A strong bond can’t be formed unless the tooth’s surface is clean. Your tooth will be polished to remove any debris that has accumulated such as plaque and tartar.
Tooth preparation is next. The amount of tooth shaping that will be needed varies from case to case. With some cosmetic bonding applications, like closing tooth gaps and repairing minor chips, little to no trimming may be needed. If your tooth needs repair from damage caused by tooth decay, then the amount of drilling required will likely increase.
Once the tooth as been prepared the actual bonding process begins. The first step involves etching the tooth’s exposed surfaces with an acidic tooth conditioner. The conditioner is a gel that contains 30 to 40 percent phosphoric acid. The conditioner is spread out over the tooth where the bonding will be placed. It sits for about 15 seconds and then is thoroughly washed off. The tooth’s surface is now prepared and ready to receive the dental bonding.
The next step is applying the bonding agent. Dr. Hemphill will paint or dab the bonding agent onto the etched tooth surface using a small brush. He’ll also blow air gently over the tooth to ensure that the bonding agent has been dispersed as a thin layer over the tooth’s etched surface
After the bonding agent has been applied, a curing light will shine on it. The light from the curing light is blue, and it activates the bonding agent causing it to harden. It only takes about 10 to 20 seconds of exposure.
Finally, the composite that has been shade selected just for your tooth is placed on your tooth and sculpted to match the appropriate shape. The blue light is shined onto the tooth to make it hard. Dr. Hemphill will then refine the shape and polish both your tooth and composite to make your tooth shine. And that’s it!
Can Children Benefit from Cosmetic Bonding?
Cosmetic bonding is a very appropriate solution for children and teens. Chipped and broken teeth are a common occurrence with very active children and cosmetic bonding is a great solution to correct those imperfections and get them smiling again!
Dental Contouring
Cosmetic bonding and contouring are procedures that are often done together. When Dr. Hemphill contours your teeth, he will smooth rough edges and reshape your teeth so that your smile looks polished. It’s a quick and gentle procedure that can be done with cosmetic bonding or done independently by itself.
Contact West Hill Family Dental today for schedule a consultation regarding cosmetic bonding and contouring.