From our blog

Braces and bonding

Braces and bonding

While most of our patients are au fait with the way braces work, not everyone is as familiar with teeth bonding – a cosmetic dental treatment that can transform small or misshapen teeth.

Orthodontic treatment can achieve jaw-dropping results, but it does have its limitations. While it can straighten crooked and crowded teeth, it can’t change the appearance of the teeth themselves. If your teeth are stained, broken or misshapen before treatment, they’ll be the same afterwards – only straighter.

Some patients are happy with the results of orthodontic treatment alone, but many are looking for something more akin to the smiles they see in the media. This is where teeth bonding, also known as dental bonding, can help.

Teeth bonding involves reshaping your teeth using tooth-coloured composite, carefully enhancing their shape to achieve a balanced smile. The results are incredibly natural and long-lasting. It’s also completely reversible and the composite can be removed by your dentist at any point.

Sometimes, for the best results, we may need to reshape your teeth by removing very small amounts of your own enamel – this is known as teeth reshaping or teeth contouring. Just like teeth bonding it can balance your smile and provide the perfect finishing touch to orthodontic treatment. It’s important to know, however, that the results of teeth reshaping are not reversible.

Teeth bonding and teeth reshaping are both treatments that we offer independently of braces. So, if you are looking to make small improvements to your teeth, you may find that they’re a quick and cost effective alternative to braces.

Teeth bonding step-by-step

Teeth bonding is usually carried out in just one appointment. We’ll start by examining your smile and talking to you about what you like and don’t like about the shape of your teeth. We’ll provide you with our recommendations, but ultimately the choice is yours. Some patients prefer squared edges, while others prefer a more rounded shape.

Next, we’ll give your teeth a thorough clean, before carefully reshaping each tooth using tooth coloured composite. Once you’re completely happy with the shape of your teeth, we’ll use a special light to set the composite, before giving them a final polish.

The whole process is pain free, takes less than an hour and the results will be ready to show off straight away. Afterwards you can brush and look after your teeth as normal. It’s worth knowing, though, that you can’t whiten composite – so if you’re considering teeth whitening do this beforehand, so we can match the shade of your teeth accurately.

To find out more about braces and bonding, explore our website or get in touch to arrange your free no-obligation consultation*.

Book your free consultation

Arrange a complimentary consultation with our friendly and knowledgeable team

Sensu