If you have a chipped tooth or other small defect, Dr. Hadgis can use dental bonding to fix that defect while leaving most of your natural tooth in place. Dental bonding can also be used to fix a tooth gap, and is generally used to fix small defects in one or two teeth, rather than as a tool for an entire smile makeover.
In the hands of an expert like Dr. Hadgis, dental bonding can yield extraordinary results. The pictures below show what can be done with dental bonding when performed by a truly gifted cosmetic dentist.
Before Dental Bonding
After Dental Bonding
Notice that the repaired tooth exactly matches the other front tooth in color variations and translucency, and looks like a completely natural part of this patient’s smile.
Dental Bonding Process
First, the tooth to be treated is roughened slightly, so the bonding material will adhere to it. Next, a thin coating of bonding agent is applied to the tooth, then the composite material is placed on the tooth. Composite material has a thick, paste like consistency that can be molded and shaped by the dentist, and can be mixed into different colors and consistencies to match your natural teeth. This is where the artistic eye of the dentist is so critically important, as a poor match in color or translucency will be glaringly obvious. Sometimes, several layers of different colors and consistency composite material are used to achieve the best result. Finally, the tooth is exposed to a high-intensity curing light, which hardens the composite material.
Choosing the Right Dentist for Dental Bonding
Dental bonding is what is called a “direct” technique, meaning that Dr. Hadgis does the work right on your tooth. Of all cosmetic dentistry techniques, dental bonding is perhaps one of the most demanding, exacting skill sets acquired by a cosmetic dentist. The work is done freehand, with no computer-aided design in matching the color or sculpting the tooth. Only an artistically gifted and highly trained cosmetic dentist can do really beautiful bonding work, so choosing the right dentist for this procedure is of the utmost importance.