Westpark Helpful Dental Articles
Bonding Teeth Can Close Gaps and Create Instant Beautiful Smiles
In modern dentistry today one of the techniques we have at our disposal as an alternative to placing a full coverage crown on a tooth is bonding the tooth. When placing a crown we are required to grind down the whole tooth, but with bonding we bond pieces of porcelain to a fractured or decayed tooth. This approach is conservative because it spares part of the healthy tooth from having to be removed to fit a crown. Bonding is particularly useful when a patient has chewed something they should not have—a Tootsie Roll Pop for example—and they have sheared off a side chunk of the tooth.
In modern dentistry today one of the techniques we have at our disposal as an alternative to placing a full coverage crown on a tooth is bonding the tooth. When placing a crown we are required to grind down the whole tooth, but with bonding we bond pieces of porcelain to a fractured or decayed tooth. This approach is conservative because it spares part of the healthy tooth from having to be removed to fit a crown. Bonding is particularly useful when a patient has chewed something they should not have—a Tootsie Roll Pop for example—and they have sheared off a side chunk of the tooth.
With bonding I can do a light preparation of the tooth, make an impression of that area, and have a laboratory make up a virtually identical cusp that I can then bond to the tooth. This technique is an excellent solution for maintaining the tooth’s integrity and strength.
Bonding is extraordinary because the material virtually becomes a part of the tooth—chemically bonding to the tooth’s natural enamel. It is so natural looking the only way to tell that bonding has been done is to view the tooth at 30 times magnification.
On the front teeth bonding can serve as a faux orthodontic treatment because it can smooth over gaps and imperfections in the teeth. For example, if a patient has spaces between their teeth we can use bonding to add surface area to the interproximal or the in-between parts of the tooth and thereby instantly close a gap.
Patients are thrilled with this procedure, in part because they can rid themselves of gaps they have lived with their entire lives—and they can love their smile, sometimes for the first time.
Dr. Michael E. Gallagher
West Park Dental
Cleveland, OH
New Patients Welcome
www.westparksmiles.com
Posted 05/01/2021
