4 Tips To Keep Your Dental Bonding In Good Condition

Having chipped, cracked, or gappy teeth affects our smile and, in turn, our daily lives. Whenever we meet someone, they first notice our smile. If our smile is flawed, we hesitate to interact with others, which hampers our social lives. For this reason, people go for different oral procedures to get their dream smile. One such procedure is dental bonding.

Tooth bonding (also called composite bonding) is a cosmetic procedure to correct minor gaps or damages in your teeth quickly and easily. Dentists use this procedure commonly for restoration in adults and children. It is the least invasive procedure for restoring teeth as you do not need to get the hard surface of your tooth (called enamel) scrapped for bonding.

To get dental bonding done, you must also learn to keep them in good condition. This article will tell you more about this procedure and how to maintain your composite fixture.

What is Dental Bonding?

Tooth bonding is a specialty of cosmetic dentistry. In this procedure, your dentist would attach tooth-colored composite resin to the surface of your teeth. S/he would then shape the resin so that it matches your teeth’s natural appearance.

• To match the resin’s color as close to your natural teeth’ color, your dentist would use a shade guide.
• The doctor would use a tool to roughen the surface of your tooth and apply a liquid or moisturizing solution to your teeth so that the resin bonds with your tooth.
• The resin is then molded as per the shape of your tooth and hardened with the use of UV (ultra-violet) light.
• To create a natural-looking finish, your dentist would finally polish the resin attached to your tooth.
• The procedure is fast and causes minimal or no irritation to the impacted tooth.
• It is also an inexpensive procedure.

When Do We Use Dental Bonding?

These tooth fixtures are generally an inexpensive alternative to veneers and crowns. You would get this procedure done because of one or many of the following reasons:

• To close small gaps in teeth.
• To change the dimension (shape and size) of your tooth.
• To cover dark stains on your tooth.
• To restore a cracked or chipped tooth.

In What Situations Would You Prefer Dental Bonding

The procedure of fixing resin on the tooth is so fast, convenient, non-invasive, and versatile; patients prefer it for a variety of reasons.

• If affordability is your priority, then go for this treatment as it is the least costly one compared to other cosmetic dentistry treatments.
• If you have minor cosmetic issues and you want to fix them fast and effectively, these tooth fixtures come in extremely handy. Composite resin can be fixed in just one appointment and does not need anesthesia.
• If your tooth is not damaged badly and can be saved, you would like to go for this procedure as it does not involve partial removal of the tooth’s surface, as seen in other cosmetic dentistry procedures. The structure of your tooth remains intact after this treatment.

4 Tips to Make My Dental Bonding Last Long

The material used for this procedure is not as strong as crowns or veneers and might not last as long. But with proper care and tips described below, you can keep them in good shape for a long time.

1. Watch what you eat – You can eat most of your favorite food after this procedure, but you must avoid doing things like chewing on a nut, eating ice, or biting down on pens and pencils. Whenever you want to put something in your mouth, consider if it is too hard and find another option if you feel it might damage your bonding. You should also avoid eating anything too acidic since acidic foods and beverages cause erosion and can adversely impact the fixture on your tooth. Some colored food and beverages can stain the bonded material, so try the following tips to avoid staining your teeth:
   1. When you drink highly staining beverages such as tea, coffee, and sodas with artificial coloring, use a straw.
   2. Clean your mouth thoroughly with water after you eat staining foods such as tomatoes, pasta sauces, berries, citrus food, etc.
   3. Go to your dentist at regular intervals for professional cleaning.
2. Maintain excellent oral hygiene – There isn’t anything special you need to do to take care of your tooth fixture, but you must maintain impeccable dental hygiene. Both your natural tooth and dental bonding will benefit if you do the following:
   1. Brush your teeth twice daily.
   2. Use fluoride toothpaste for brushing teeth.
   3. Floss once daily.
   4. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles.
   5. Drink lots of water and have nutrient-dense foods.
   6. Keep up your regular dental visits.
3. Take measures to stop teeth grinding – Grinding teeth creates a lot of damage to your teeth as well as the composite material attached to your bonded teeth. Many people suffer from nighttime teeth grinding due to a variety of reasons, such as stress. 

 

You might not even be aware that you are grinding your teeth, but your dentist would be able to figure it out by looking for signs of teeth grinding during the examination. Your doctor might advise you to wear a mouthguard at night to prevent nighttime teeth grinding, as a mouthguard will not allow your teeth to touch while you sleep.

 

1. Keep visiting your dentist – We have already emphasized that regularly meeting your dentist is extremely critical to the condition and longevity of your dental bonding. During a typical checkup, your doctor would clean your teeth and examine them. S/he will ensure your tooth fixture is holding up well, and in case s/he finds the bonding is breaking away or weakening, your doctor can take necessary measures, like replacing the material.

Dental bonding is an easy, fast, non-invasive, effective, and inexpensive procedure to restore your cracked or gapped teeth. But to maintain the condition and shape of your tooth fixture, you would need to maintain great oral hygiene as well as follow the top four tips mentioned above in this article.