Dental Bonding

Beachwood, OH

Bonding is a method we use to repair teeth that have chipped or cracked. It is often the solution for broken teeth that cannot be repaired using inlays and onlays, a dental filling, or crown. However, bonding is typically reserved for cosmetic repairs rather than restoring function to a tooth, although bonding can help make it easier to bite and chew. At Aspire Dental Spa, we often use bonding to repair small cracks, chips, and gaps in teeth that are not painful or debilitating but are very noticeable to others. The bonding process is a fairly simple one, and many patients make use of it to restore their teeth to the aesthetic look they want.

What Is Bonding?

Bonding, like a dental filling and similar procedures, uses a special composite resin to repair teeth. The resin can be molded into shape, allowing us to place it within cracks or to fill the missing part of a chipped tooth. Once we have placed it and molded it into the necessary shape, we shine a UV light on the resin that makes it harden and set. This permanently bonds it to the tooth. The bonding material is very similar in shade to that of natural teeth, but we can color it to make it perfectly blend in with the tooth it is being attached to. Others will not notice the bonding material.

What Does The Bonding Process Entail?

The bonding procedure is a straightforward and fairly simple process. We will first examine the tooth to make certain that bonding really is the right solution. If it is, we will closely look at your tooth and the teeth around it to determine the right shade of bonding material needed. Then we use a small tool to prepare the section of your tooth that requires bonding. This helps the resin adhere to the tooth. Once that is done, we will add a special adhesive to the area and then place the resin. We carefully mold it into shape using small sculpting tools. When we have the right shape, we set the resin with UV light. The last step is to polish the resin to remove any edges.

For one tooth, the entire bonding process usually takes no more than an hour. If you are having several teeth done, it can take longer. We may also need to have you come in for several appointments to get them all repaired.

How Durable Is Bonding?

Dental bonding can last for quite some time and does not require any special care to keep it in place. Like fillings and dental crowns, you can damage the bonding material by biting down on hard objects or by getting hit in the face. Bonding material can also stain, just like enamel, so you do need to make certain you brush it as you do the rest of your teeth. If the material comes loose or breaks off, you need to come in as soon as you can. While it may not affect your overall oral health, it is possible that any remaining bonding material could have sharp edges that could cut your tongue.

If you would like to learn more about dental bonding or want to learn if it is an option for you, call Aspire Dental Spa at (216) 342-4388 to make an appointment.