Do you have chipped, gapped, or discolored teeth? Have you been searching for a fast, inexpensive, minimally invasive way to get a smile makeover? Look no further!
Composite bonding (also known as tooth-colored bonding) is the application of custom-tinted resin to reshape and improve the appearance of front teeth. Bonding can give you the smile of your dreams in a single visit to Dr. Ragsdale’s Austin dentist office.
At Austin Laser Dentist, we are passionate about giving our patients a smile they love to show off. With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Helen Ragsdale is known for gentle, exceptional dental care. To talk with her about improving your smile with composite bonding or other cosmetic dental procedures, contact us online or call our office today at (512) 346-4690.
The Procedure
The process of restoring your smile with dental bonding only requires one appointment and these essential steps:
- Dr. Ragsdale will apply a conditioning formula to your tooth so that the composite resin bonds strongly with enamel.
- The composite resin is carefully matched to your tooth color, then layered onto the tooth.
- A special light will harden the material.
- Once the material is hardened, Dr. Ragsdale will shape and polish the restoration to the appropriate size and shine.
Depending on the number of teeth being bonded, this process can take an hour or more. However, it is usually completed within a few hours and always in one visit.
What can dental bonding do?
Composite resin bonding can fix imperfections in your smile by repairing or correcting:
- Chipped teeth
- Cracks or craze lines in teeth
- Tooth discoloration
- Slightly crooked or malformed teeth
- Widely or unevenly spaced teeth
- Sharp or jagged teeth
- Uneven teeth
Many of our patients also opt to replace silver amalgam fillings with resin fillings, which are created with the same material used in cosmetic bonding. Metal fillings can make a smile look aged and often cause tooth sensitivity. With tooth-colored fillings, you will enjoy a healthy, metal-free, more attractive smile.
Check out this blog on our website if you are interested in learning more about the process for each of these improvements.
More Benefits of Dental Bonding
Besides cosmetic improvements, there are many other benefits to cosmetic bonding.
- Quick: Veneers are an alternative to bonding, but they require two to three visits to the dentist’s office. Orthodontics can address spacing issues and twisted teeth, but braces take a minimum of six months, and usually two years, to complete treatment. Bonding takes one hour and is always done in a single office visit.
- Affordable: Veneers and orthodontics cost thousands of dollars. In contrast, bonding usually costs a few hundred dollars per tooth.
- Restored oral health: If Dr. Ragsdale finds any decay in your tooth, she will remove it and seal the damaged area to prevent future decay. Bonding is also a dental filling material.
- Minimally invasive: Bonding is one of very few cosmetic or restorative treatments available that requires very little prepping. Generally, a tooth is mildly etched to create a rough surface for the resin to adhere properly.
- Long-lasting results: To care for a bonded tooth, practice good oral hygiene habits. In the absence of injury or accident, your composite resin can last up to 10 years or more.
- Little post-treatment discomfort: Because composite resin is metal-free, and little tooth preparation is required prior to placement, tooth sensitivity rarely occurs.
Contact Our Austin, TX Dental Office Today
Our Austin Laser Dental, our team is ready to answer your questions about cosmetic bonding or any of our services. If you would like to learn more, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Ragsdale, call us today at 512-346-4690.
