Bonding Front Teeth
I consider myself very fortunate as I have a profession that comes easily to me. I often ask my new patients why they trust me to take care of their dental issues and find that often their response is the same. They go back to a statement that I made either during the exam or consultation appointment where I stated "I can fix that.". They often talk of the confidence they felt that goes along with the statement. I take that trust they place in me seriously. The following patient is one of those new patients who came to me with doubts about how his front teeth could be fixed.
Tim is a new patient of mine who had an accident and broke his front teeth seven years ago. At that time, he went to several dentists to repair the damage and was told he needed crowns to restore his broken teeth . He wasn't happy about the solution they presented as he would have to sacrifice good tooth structure for the crowns and the repair would be costly. He was told that bonding his teeth was not an option since the dental bonding wouldn't be strong enough or esthetic enough.
One look told me that Tim was actually a great candidate for bonding front teeth. In a worst case scenario, if we did the bonding and it did not hold up, all of the other options were still available since bonding is an additive process. None of his good tooth structure had to be removed for the bonding process. I never tell my patients that they need to be careful with anything they eat because bonding is durable. Corn on the cob, crispy Italian bread are all still on the table as I believe that my patients should not have to baby their teeth. If what I do for them can't hold up to their lifestyle then it is the wrong restoration. There are too many other things in our lives to worry about. My patients should not have to worry about their teeth.
The Dental Bonding Process
I transformed Tim's smile in one visit. First, he spent a few days at home with tooth whitening trays to whiten his smile before we began the restorations.
Here is a picture of the process halfway through:
I just bonded the two front teeth on the left side of the photo. Dental bonding is the process where a tooth colored filling material, called composite, is fused to the existing tooth structure. The correct color is achieved by layering different colors and translucency of composite material. Sizing is critical when creating new front teeth. The position of the unrestored teeth, as well as the width of the teeth, help me to establish how long I want his two front teeth. Longer is better as it is easier to shorten teeth then have to make them longer.
The Final Result
The whole process took me about 90 minutes to complete. Here are the after photos:
Tim was thrilled with his new smile. The best part about it was he felt like he had back the old smile he remembered. I was happy for him. It is truly a privilege for me to be able to help make my patients feel the way they do. I changed this man's life. The reality is that putting that smile on his face changes my life too.
Is bonding something that can help you? Contact us for a free consult. You will be glad you did!
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