Bonding

It's Better With Bonding

How Bonding Can Restore Strength & Health to Your Smile

If you’re self-conscious about your smile because of decayed, disfigured, or discolored teeth, you may be a good candidate for composite resin bonding. A composite resin is simply a silicon dioxide-filled tooth-colored plastic mixture that Dr. Henbest uses to restore teeth to an attractive, healthy state. We also use composite resin for filling cavities, instead of the heavy metal silver amalgam material used for many years. Whether it's to restore a problem tooth, or to fill an area of decay, composite resins actually bond to the tooth itself, creating a stronger, healthier tooth for life.

Fantastic for Fixing & Filling

Generally, bonding requires five simple steps that are all completed in one appointment: preparation, layering, hardening, shaping, and polishing. First, Dr. Henbest prepares the teeth to be bonded, using a simple etching process. Then, after applying a specialized cleaning agent, he layers the custom-color blend of composite resin onto the tooth or teeth, hardening each layer with a special light. When the layering process is finished, Dr. Henbest works with the composite, shaping it to fit the tooth according to your natural dentition. He then polishes it to prevent staining and early wear. Depending on the location and size of the bonded area, this placement process may require 10 to 20 minutes longer than what's needed for a traditional silver filling.

Built-In Strength, Not Weakness

It's helpful to understand why bonding with composite resin is so far superior to using silver amalgam for filling cavities. First of all, consider the simple physics of the situation: each bite you take puts up to 900 pounds of pressure per square inch on the surface of the biting tooth. Over the years, this kind of pressure can easily cause silver amalgam fillings to change their shape and contour, crack, and possibly create fractures within the tooth as well. Then, decay can creep into the fracture lines and under the loosened filling. Furthermore, silver actually expands at an entirely different rate than tooth enamel…meaning that it's only a matter of time before the filling's changing shape fractures the underlying tooth.

However, the bond formed between the tooth and a composite resin isn’t susceptible to these problems. In fact, it’s such a complete bond that the new material actually lends strength to that tooth for the many years, preventing breakage and providing temperature change insulation. And, as an important note, it's quite simple to have your mercury-containing amalgam fillings replaced with composite resins.

Considerations & Costs

Occasionally, patients notice a bit of temporary post-placement sensitivity after receiving their composite(s). Also, patients who are habitual coffee or tea drinkers, or those who eat staining-type foods may want to request that Dr. Henbest protect the bonding area with a clear plastic coating. Finally, it’s wise to consider the cost and investment involved with receiving composites. Composites usually cost around one-and-a-half to two times the price of a traditional silver filling, with insurance typically covering up to the price of the silver filling and the patient paying the difference. But in the long run, the health and strength of your smile should prove worth the investment. As time goes on, even more coverage may be available as composites improve and statistics are compiled in their favor.

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