What Are the Pros and Cons to Dental Bonding?

Dental bonding is a simple cosmetic dentistry procedure that uses a special-colored resin, color-matched to your teeth, which is applied to the tooth, shaped, and hardened. This is performed for chipped tooth repair or to improve the overall appearance of minor issues, such as a gap between the front teeth or an uneven bite line.

Understanding the pros and cons of dental bonding and seeing how it compares to other cosmetic treatments can help you determine if this solution is right for you.

What Is Dental Bonding?

As previously stated, dental bonding is a cosmetic treatment that uses tooth-colored resin to make minor repairs to teeth. More specifically, dental bonding can

  • Fill in cracks or chips in teeth
  • Close tooth gaps
  • Cover exposed tooth roots
  • Reshape teeth or change their size
  • Align slightly crooked teeth
  • Hide stains
  • Replace silver cavity fillings
  • Rebuild edges worn down by chewing or grinding

There are generally two forms of dental bonding:

  • Direct composite bonding uses tooth-colored composites (white or natural-looking materials) to fill cavities, repair chips or cracks, close gaps between your teeth, and build up the worn-down edges of teeth.
  • Adhesive bonding attaches a restoration to the tooth. It is commonly done through esthetic crowns, porcelain veneers, bridges, or inlays/onlays.

To better understand dental bonding, it may be helpful to compare this treatment with veneers and crowns, other types of cosmetic restorations. Veneers are thin layers of porcelain or composite resin shells placed on the front of teeth. Here are the characteristics that distinguish veneers from dental bonding:

  • While bonding can correct minor flaws, veneers provide greater coverage and produce more noticeable changes.
  • Veneers are more invasive than bonding because they require the removal of some enamel before placement.
  • Veneers are more resistant to stains because they’re not porous like bonding resin.
  • Veneers typically are more expensive.
  • This dental treatment requires two office visits, whereas dental bonding can be done in one sitting.

Another common cosmetic procedure is the dental crown, a cap placed on top of a tooth that matches the color and shape of the surrounding teeth. Crowns are ideal for more extensive repairs, and they’re applied after root canals. Unlike dental bonding, crowns

  • Require more removal of the original tooth
  • Are typically more durable and last longer
  • Are the better choice for cosmetic enhancement with more extensive breaks or chips
  • Require at least two office visits
  • Are not as budget-friendly as bonding

Pros and Cons of Dental Bonding

Dental bonding has its advantages. It’s less expensive than the other cosmetic treatments discussed, and it can usually be completed in one office visit, unless multiple teeth require bonding. Unlike veneers and crowns, there’s no removal of tooth enamel required, so it’s less invasive. Additionally, most bonding procedures can be performed without anesthesia.

As for disadvantages, bonding doesn’t have the durability of veneers or crowns. The material is not as strong as your regular tooth. In fact, even just chewing on your nails can damage an area that was repaired with dental bonding. It may last only a few years before requiring further restoration.

Another downside to dental bonding is that, since it’s color-matched to your tooth, you can’t get teeth whitening on a tooth with dental bonding. The bonding itself won’t lighten along with the natural tooth, and you’ll end up with mismatched colors.

How the Dental Bonding Procedure is Done

In most cases, you won’t need numbing for dental bonding. Anesthesia is necessary only if bonding is used to fill a cavity, drilling is required to accommodate the tooth’s shape, or the damaged portion of the tooth is near a nerve.

Your dentist will use a shade guide to ensure the new bonded piece matches the color of your other teeth, making the tooth appear natural. If you plan to have teeth whitening on the rest of your teeth as a cosmetic dentistry procedure, you might want to do that first so that your newly bonded tooth matches the whitening.

The tooth surface is then roughened to increase the surface area for adhesion. A conditioning liquid is applied to the tooth to improve the bond between the restoration and the existing tooth. The dental bonding material is then applied to the tooth, and the cosmetic dentist sculpts and shapes it to match the tooth’s contours. The bonding is then hardened using UV light. The dentist will make minor final touches to ensure the repaired chipped tooth looks completely uniform so you can’t even tell it was bonded at all.

Dental bonding typically takes 30-60 minutes, depending on the extent of the surface area. If you are being treated by a dental school, you should expect the procedure to take twice as long to allow time for instruction.

Cosmetic Dentistry Specialists Serving Cincinnati

We are a Cincinnati family dental practice specializing in cosmetic dentistry. In addition to dental bonding, we also do teeth whitening, veneers, and dental bridges.

Beckham Square Family Dental is also committed to gentle dentistry. We always strive to do anything we can to help you feel as relaxed and comfortable as possible. We use the latest technologies, dental advancements, and innovations to consistently provide the highest-quality care in a comfortable setting.

We are a family dentistry practice that offers a comprehensive range of dental care, from preventive dentistry to emergency procedures to cosmetic procedures. Our clinic is your complete one-stop shop for your family’s dental needs. And yes, we are accepting new patients. Call us at 513.489.7800 or complete our online contact form. We can’t wait to meet you!