Bonding
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The most significant advantage of bonding over other cosmetic treatments is that the natural teeth do not need to be shaped and therefore are almost always completely reversible.
Chipped Tooth Repair
When a tooth presents a relatively minor chip and the patient is otherwise satisfied with her or his existing smile, a bonding is an excellent way to restore the smile. It is a quick and simple way to restore the smile without going through more extensive and usually more expensive treatments such as porcelain veneers.
CASE #1
This patient presented with a chip on her front tooth and I restored them with bonding – a one visit procedure.
Closing Space between Front Teeth
Porcelain veneers are usually the best way to achieve the look of a natural enamel of teeth. However, it usually costs more and not everyone can afford them. Then, there is a less costly alternative treatment – bonding.
When a patient is otherwise happy with her or his smile, bonding is a great way to close the space between two front teeth and still achieve a good result.
One thing I always tell patients before we decide to go with bonding instead of veneers, is that bonding does not last as long as porcelain veneers and may need to be replaced.
CASE #1
This patient presented with a relatively large gap between two front teeth. In this patient's case, his two front teeth were long and narrow, which made it possible to close the space completely without making them appear too short and wide. Notice excellent match of color to the adjacent natural enamel. Patient was very happy and I was happier.
CASE #2
This patient is similar case to the case above, but his two front teeth were short. I explained and discussed with the patient. Patient agreed to leave a small space instead of closing the space completely to avoid the appearance of having the “short and wide” teeth. I was able to maintain good height-to-width ratio for a good aesthetic result.
CASE #3
This case was one of the most challenging cases I have done. Patient has been to other dentists, but no one could give him a good treatment option that does not involve extensive and time-consuming treatments. Patient did not want an aggressive or extensive treatments. After a long discussion with this patient, we decided to try bonding. If patient or I do not like the result, I can always remove the bonding and forget the treatment since bonding is completely reversible. See how much his smile improved with the bonding on his front four teeth. His teeth were very short and the spaces were too wide and it was very challenging to achieve good aesthetic result without compromising the height-to-length ratio. Patient was very happy with the result and I was even happier.
CASE #4
Another example of closing a space between two front teeth. We also decided to leave the small gap for better height-to-width ratio. One thing I want to point out here. With porcelain veneers of four or more teeth, we can close the space completely and still maintain the ideal height-to-width ratio. With bondings on just two teeth, there is some compromise that we have to take and that is something I always discuss with my patient before we decide between different treatment options.
Changing and Repairing Old Bonding
As pointed out earlier, bondings do not last as long as porcelain veneers. They can stain more easily and are more susceptible to fractures compared to porcelain veneers.
Patient presented with old bodings that were stained and not symmetrical. I replaced them to achieve better color matching and symmetry.
Removing Discolorations from Fluorosis or Other Developmental Causes
I usually recommend porcelain veneers when a patient wants to change the color or remove the stain on her or his teeth.
CASE #1
Porcelain veneers were not an option for this patient due to the cost. In this patient’s case, the white discoloration from Fluorosis (too much fluoride when teeth were developing) were limited only to the edge of the teeth. Therefore, I was able to eliminate the white discoloration with bondings. Great Result!
CASE #2
