Cosmetic Bonding
Our dentist and the New Waverly Place Dentistry team can take care of your tooth bonding in Cary, NC. The dental bonding process is very similar to the process of filling in tooth decay. Where as the term “filling” is generally reserved for tooth decay, bonding refers to reshaping the tooth in a more aesthetic or cosmetic sense. Typically the tooth is prepped and smoothed before applying a resin material to reshape or reform the tooth. Once applied and dried, the tooth is then reworked to appear just like a natural tooth. Cosmetic bonding can be used to fill gaps, change the shape, color or other aesthetics of a tooth. Using this method of tooth restoration is usually more economical than other forms of cosmetic dentistry such as porcelain veneers.
Contouring and Reshaping
Do you have a small chip in your front tooth? Slight overlap? Uneven length? If these are minimal yet bothersome to you, you could likely benefit from contouring or reshaping the tooth. Even an oclussion (bite) that is slightly imbalanced can sometimes be fixed with contouring. However, to fix a tooth by contouring, you cannot jeopardize your bite. Another method will need to be taken if a bite imbalance is at risk.
Contouring/reshaping is performed by taking a drill and removing a small amount of enamel from the tooth to reach the desired appearance. Anesthesia is not necessary for pain during this since it is only the enamel being removed and no nerve endings are present in your enamel. If you haven’t yet gone through orthodontic treatment but are planning on it, we suggest looking into contouring after as the aesthetic of the teeth will change.