Your smile is important. While it helps you eat, chew, and speak, your smile also plays a large role in your appearance and self-confidence. Therefore, you should want your smile to be both healthy and appealing. Thankfully, cosmetic bonding offers a solution that may be suited to your imperfect smile's needs. This guide and your dentist will help you understand the bonding process and how it can benefit your smile.

The 411 On Cosmetic Bonding

Before you can understand the benefits and if the treatment is right for you, you need to understand what bonding entails.

Basically, bonding involves covering the tooth with a composite resin material. The entire tooth can be covered with the resin material or only a portion of the tooth.

The resin material is soft, making it easy to apply to the tooth. Its flexibility helps your dentist move and manipulate the resin naturally over your tooth, filling in any cracks, crevices while enhancing the natural shape of your tooth.

Once in place, a special light is directed to the tooth, hardening the bonding material in place. The tooth is then polished, completing the overall look of your newly restored, yet natural and protected tooth.

Benefits of Cosmetic Bonding

Compared to dental implants or dental veneers, cosmetic bonding offers a less time-consuming, easier, and more affordable option for restoring one or more damaged teeth. It can be a great solution for patients with a variety of dental concerns.

Cosmetic bonding may be recommended if you suffer from tooth discoloration or severe staining that traditional cleaning and whitening treatments cannot remove.

If a few teeth have been damaged, whether chipped, fractured, or broken, your dentist can apply the bonding agent over the tooth to restore its look and shape while preventing further damage that may come along with basic chewing.

Most people are surprised to learn cosmetic bonding is also a great option for gaps in their teeth. The resin can be used to cover these gaps without sacrificing the natural appearance of your smile.

If you have teeth that are too small or abnormally shaped and crooked, your dentist may suggest cosmetic bonding, as well.

Bonding can be a solution for patients with bruxism, which causes them to clench their jaws and grind their teeth. This habit wears down the tooth over time, but the bonding agent can restore this damage.

For more information on restoring your smile in an efficient and effective manner, talk to your cosmetic dentist today about cosmetic bonding.