How Does a Dentist Perform Dental Bonding?

Dentists perform numerous types of procedures, but one of the procedures that is becoming more and more popular is that of dental bonding. Dental bonding is a procedure that is used to correct chipped or slightly uneven teeth.

 

There are three primary steps included in the dental bonding process, the first of which is preparation, which is really quite simple. During this step, the dentist uses shade cards to determine which shade of bonding material best matches the patient's natural teeth.

For patients who want to get all of their teeth bonded for the purpose of making them whiter, dentists usually just let them pick the shade that they prefer. It's best to not go too white, though. Otherwise the teeth might not look natural.

In the next phase of the procedure, the dentist roughens the teeth and applies a conditioning treatment to it so that the bonding material will better adhere to the tooth. Afterwards, the dentist molds and shapes the tooth as the patient desires. Then, he or she uses an ultraviolet light to make the material on the tooth harden.

Lastly, after the resin has hardened, the dentist continues to shape and trim the tooth further. Then, he or she polishes it so that it takes on the same sheen as the rest of the patient's teeth. The entire amount of time that it takes to bond one tooth usually takes somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour to complete.