Dental bonding, also known as tooth bonding, can serve both restorative and cosmetic purposes, addressing minor tooth damage, imperfections, and discoloration to enhance your smile. As an experienced and highly trained cosmetic dentist, Dr. Mojgan Mazhari can provide natural-looking results with tooth bonding to address a range of cosmetic and oral health concerns:
- Repairing chipped or cracked teeth
- Filling in gaps between teeth
- Improving the appearance of discolored or stained teeth
- Reshaping irregularly shaped teeth
- Lengthening short teeth
- Covering exposed tooth roots due to gum recession
How Does Dental Bonding Treatment Work?
The tooth bonding procedure is typically completed in one visit to our Northern Virginia dentist's office.
- Preparation. Your dentist first prepares the tooth by lightly etching or roughening the surface. This helps the bonding material adhere better to the tooth.
- Composite application. Then, she applies a composite resin material to the tooth. The resin is soft and malleable, allowing it to be shaped and sculpted to achieve the desired look.
- Color matching. She’ll carefully select a shade of composite resin that closely matches the color of your natural teeth, ensuring a seamless and natural appearance.
- Shaping and sculpting. This application helps form the composite material to match the contours of the tooth and create the desired aesthetic result. This may involve filling in chips or gaps, repairing cracks, or reshaping the tooth.
- Curing. After the composite resin is properly shaped, a special light is used to harden or cure the material. The curing process ensures that the bonding material becomes strong and durable.
- Final touches. Once the bonding material is hardened, Dr. Mazhari further refines the shape and makes any necessary adjustments. The bonded tooth is then polished to achieve a smooth and natural-looking finish.
Tooth bonding can last for up to 10 years with good oral hygiene and routine dental care.