These days, the world of dentistry has undergone tremendous advancements. As a result a lot of more treatments and options exist today as compared to the past. This makes choosing the right treatment for a given condition a little confusing. One of the most popular treatments these days is composite bonding treatment. A large number of people all over the world undergo this treatment almost every day and the UK is no exception.
These people have lots of questions about the procedure. How long the treatment takes? What is the cost? Who is a good candidate for the treatment? How long does the procedure last? Am I a suitable candidate? Dentists have to field all these questions and many more repeatedly throughout the day. In this blog post let us explore the relevant facts about this cutting-edge treatment so that you can make informed decision easily when your time comes.
The basics of composite bonding procedure
The procedure or treatment is known by various names – including composite bonding, dental composite bonding, dental bonding and composite resin bonding – to name a few. The procedure involves adding material to the tooth surface to change or improve their physical dimension and shape. Your dentist applies a putty-like resin to the tooth and brings it to shape before permanently bonding the two together. The procedure involves all these steps. This particular treatment has many takers who are keen to boost the appearance of their smile or suffer from minuscule damaged teeth. The procedure – compared to other cosmetic dentistry treatments – is quite reasonable in cost. The result also lasts pretty long; the result of the treatments easily lasts anywhere between 3 and 10 years. The better oral hygiene regimen you follow the longer your bonded tooth will last.
Advantages it offers
Considering the huge popularity of the treatment, it is obvious the procedure offers a number of benefits. The benefits include the following –
- Compared to other dental procedures like veneers and crowns, the bonding treatment scrapes away much less of your tooth enamel while preparing your tooth or teeth for the treatment.
- Just a single visit to your dentist’s office is enough to get this procedure completely done.
- More easily affordable compared to other treatment options.
- You may not even require local anaesthesia to undergo this procedure.
However the procedure has a few flip sides, like –
- Your bonded tooth is always prone to damage or even breaking.
- It has much lesser lifespan than the other alternatives.
- A bonded tooth is more prone to pick up stains compared to the other alternatives.
What you experience while undergoing the procedure
The procedure of bonding a single tooth lasts anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour. As it has already been mentioned above, the procedure does not require you to get under the effect of anaesthesia to numb your senses. A little preparatory work on the tooth meant for bonding is required which is done by your dentist. The preparatory work includes smoothing the tooth surface and applying a conditioning liquid. This ensures the composite material bonds better with the tooth.
In the next step the dentist carefully selects a composite bonding material that closely matches with the natural colour of your teeth. This selection is done to ensure the result is convincing and natural and your bonded tooth or teeth cannot be distinguished from those natural ones. Lastly the bonding is finalised by using a special light. Furthermore your dentist will change or improve the shape of the bonded material to give your tooth the desired shape and size. Even your bite will be properly fit in before you can walk out of the practice.
Ideal candidates for the treatment
These days the world of dentistry has become much advanced compared to the past. As a result a number of treatment options exist to sort out a dental issue. As a result there is usually no best option to resolve a particular oral health problem. Rather there exist several options that are equally best. However a particular procedure is selected to deal with a case based on personal needs of a patient. Keeping this fact in the mind, the factors that make you an ideal candidate for composite bonding procedure include –
- You have fractured, damaged, chipped or decayed tooth or teeth.
- You are keen to enhance the appearance of your tooth or smile
- You suffer from decayed and diseased tooth or teeth
- You have an exposed tooth root that needs to be covered.
On the other hand you are not an ideal candidate for this procedure if –
- There is no sufficient material remaining of your tooth to provide the base of composite treatment.
- You have bite problem and as your bite does not align properly (which in other words to say you have an over jet or overbite issue).
Cost
While deciding on a dental procedure it is important to consider its cost. In contrast to almost every other alternative, this procedure is pretty reasonable priced and thus more affordable. The average cost is £250 per tooth although it ranges between£250 and £400. The exact fee of a dentist for the treatment depends on a professional’s qualifications, years of experience, location of a practice and such other factors. It is relevant mentioning here compared to composite bonding, other alternatives like veneers cost several times higher.
Treatment aftercare
Maintaining your basic oral hygiene regimen is an important part to care for your bonded tooth. The combination of healthy lifestyle and sound oral hygiene is the best way to care for one’s bonded tooth. A skilled dentist with years of experience in dental bonding treatment suggests the following aftercare tips.
- Brush the teeth twice a day using non abrasive toothpaste and a brush with soft bristles.
- Floss once using inter-dental floss.
- If you think you suffer from bruxism or teeth grinding, consider wearing a mouth guard to protect the teeth from minuscule fractures and damages.
- Do not bite fingernails or chew on pens and pencils.
- Avoid biting down on hard food items like candies and ice cubes.
- Do not use your teeth to open beer bottles.
- Follow a healthy, all-round diet.
- Cut down on sugary foods and drinks.
- Schedule routine visits to your dentist at regular intervals.
