Composite Bonding: A Beginner’s Guide

woman having dental check up
You might have seen people across social media and general dental websites talking about ‘composite bonding’ or ‘bonding’, especially when talking about cosmetic dental treatments.
So, as your expert dentists in east London, we thought it might be useful to talk about composite bonding in further detail to avoid any confusion or questions on your part.
What is composite bonding?
Composite, also known as composite resin, is the white filling material that’s most commonly used instead of the traditional metal amalgam fillings. Composite resin always needs a special glue to bond the filling material to the remaining tooth.
So, if you have had a white filling made of composite anywhere in your mouth, you’ve had ‘composite bonding’ done!

Because the material is white and the newer generations of the material are designed to look very natural, it really lends itself to very nice aesthetic work. These days, when people talk about ‘composite bonding’, they are often referring to the following: using composite resin material, bonded to teeth to make them look better, improving their shape, shade, contour, and masking spaces, and some mal-alignment.

You may have also heard of ‘composite build-ups’ or ‘composite veneers’ which are more or less the same thing.
What are the benefits of composite bonding?
  • Compared to other options for changing the appearance of teeth like ceramic veneers, or crowns, it is less costly.
  • In straightforward cases using a dental laboratory might be avoided altogether making things even cheaper.
  • The work is done by your dentist while you are on the chair, and, when you’re ready to leave, the work is usually complete on your teeth. Sometimes in bigger cases, more than one appointment might be necessary, just to put some finishing touches to the final result.
  • You can achieve beautiful and natural results with composite bonding
  • Compared to the use of ceramic veneers and crowns, this technique is a lot kinder to teeth and it can often be done without removing any tooth at all. A little tooth adjustment is sometimes necessary for optimum results.
Are there any downsides of composite bonding?
Compared to ceramics, it’s not considered as strong. Because of this it has more wear and tear and might need more maintenance further down the line. It can chip, wear, stain, and lose its polish. No need to panic as your dentist can easily fix this by repairing chips and fractures when necessary and repolishing the material occasionally.
Is composite bonding reversible?

It’s true that composite can be just bonded to a tooth, and the tooth underneath is completely intact, but, be warned, it is nearly impossible to remove the composite and go back to the original tooth exactly as it was.Dental treatment in London with Boston House Dental ClinicIf you’re after composite bonding, or simply want to discuss your options for treatment in further detail, get in touch with our friendly team today.

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