Cosmetic Dentistry Solutions for Smile Imperfections
When you have stains on your teeth, a professional teeth-whitening session may help remove them. But for patients who have chipped teeth, cracks, or gaps in their smiles, there are other cosmetic dentistry options appropriate for addressing these issues. The treatments of bonding and contouring can help you achieve the smile you want.
What is Bonding?What is Contouring?
These two cosmetic services are both minimally invasive, but the end results are different. With bonding, we apply a biocompatible resin made from acrylic and quartz-like particles, to cover up a blemish such as a crack or an excessive stain. The bonding material is designed to match the color of your teeth, and once it’s applied, we sculpt it to the correct size and shape. With contouring, rather than place resin, we carefully sculpt a small amount of your tooth’s enamel to even out issues like jagged teeth or teeth that look too big next to other teeth.
How Does the Treatment Work?
We perform these treatments in our office. Because they are minimal, local anesthesia or dental sedation may not be needed. We are happy to discuss sedation options, though, if you are nervous about the treatments. For bonding, we etch the top layer of your tooth and apply a conditioning gel to it so the resin will stick to it. A special light helps harden the resin before we smooth and polish it. For contouring, we begin first with an x-ray so we can see the tooth’s pulp and where it is located. Then we shape and trim the tooth and finish with a polish.