Bonding is also referred to as a bonded restoration. Bonding uses tooth-coloured material. The tooth colored material is referred to as composite resin. Decay is infection which penetrates through enamel and into dentin. Dentin is the inner layer of the tooth. Once the bacteria has reached the dentin this is now referred to as a cavity. A cavity can be removed and a choice of material to replace the lost portion of the tooth is Bonding. The bonding is actually repairing the tooth, it seals the area and allows the tooth to fully function.
Before:
After:
Composite resin (Bonding)
Bonding comes in many shades and we’ll match it to your teeth. It’s shaped to look like a missing part of a broken tooth, and can be used to build-up a tooth and/or fill in between your teeth.
How is Bonding done
Once a dentist removes the decay, the liquid bond is rubbed into the prep and this layer is cured with an LED light. Then the application of bonding occurs. Usually many layers are applied and each layer is cured. The bonding can look like a natural tooth. A rubber dam should always be used when placing the bonding. (a rubber dam is used to isolate the teeth being fixed.) The purpose of the rubber dam is to keep the area clean and dry. Bonding has to have no contamination when it is being placed into a tooth. A composite resin is very strong and it reacts to hot and cold like a natural tooth (contraction/expansion) but keeping an area dry is only achieved with the rubber dam. This allow protects the patient from swallowing anything.