“Please, tell me about composite bonding.” This is a common request from patients that dentists across the UK have to field these days. In other words composite bonding is steadily rising in popularity across the country. It is a sad truth that the term itself is not much self explanatory. As a result patients or “would be” patients feel they have no better option but to ask about it to a dentist for more convincing explanations.
Let us explore few crucial facts about this modern cosmetic dentistry procedure in the following sections of the post. This effort will prove helpful in course of time when you may have to take an informed decision.
Composite Bonding – The Basics
The procedure involves fitting aesthetically appealing white filling to one or several teeth with the aim to enhance their appearance. In other words this cosmetic dental procedure convincingly corrects issues like a worn down tooth, a chip on the edge of a tooth, gaps between the teeth and such other issues.
The best part about this treatment is it does not require drilling away the natural structure of the tooth as far as the majority of cases are concerned. Occasionally a case may require removal of a sharp edge or a thick enamel to ensure the bonding is smooth and durable but such cases are really rare. Even in those cases a minimal and negligible portion of the natural tooth structure is actually scraped away. There is hardly a cosmetic treatment that can be reversed but this one is, says a dentist who quotes reasonable price for composite bonding in the UK although there is hardly a patient who has got his or her bonding removed.
Even a few years ago Extreme Makeover programme was uniquely popular which invariably involved a smile makeover with porcelain veneers and crowns. These makeover programmes obviously yielded appealing results but a substantial portion of the natural tooth structure used to be lost forever through those procedures. Scraping away of the natural structure of the tooth is important in these procedures to accommodate the porcelain restorations but this damage is actually an irreversible damage that cannot be compensated by any means till the rest of one’s lifetime.
The outermost enamel coating of the tooth that is actually drilled away in these dental procedures is actually crucial for a tooth to remain strong and healthy for a lifetime. The enamel coating protects the inner dentin layer as well as the innermost chamber or pulp which resides the roots of a tooth. Loss of the natural protective layer or enamel coating makes a tooth vulnerable to decay and other diseases in the course of future. If porcelain veneers and crowns most be placed to restore the teeth then it is better to avoid virgin teeth for such placements and even if the restorations are required on virgin teeth then that must be done with as minimal preparation as it is possible.
On the technical aspect this is a prime reason behind steadily rising popularity of composite bonding, unlike dental crowns and porcelain veneers, the composite bonding treatment does not impose any kind of threat to the underlying tooth. As a result a large and steadily increasing number of dentists all over the world have started relying on composite bonding more than the other existing options and the dentists in the UK are no exception. In the worst circumstance a composite bonded tooth may sustain a chip or get stained and discoloured. According to dentists who perform large number of composite bonding cases in London almost on daily basis even that is no problem as such. Replenishing the bonding is not only possible but also easy and you can get it done without a fuss.
How the Procedure is Performed
The procedure involves few simple steps which include the following:
- The tooth that requires the treatment is first washed using an acid eth; it usually contains 30% phosphoric acid. This washing lasts for about 15 to 20 seconds at the most and this step ensures the ultrathin shells of composite material bonds better to your tooth.
- Then they will place a bonding resin over the tooth which is then activated by a light. In earlier times they made use of halogen which generated huge amount of heat and discomfort. But now better options have come up and dental practices are using LEDs which are much easier to bear.
- The white filling material is carefully layered over the tooth in a number of repeated sequences and the light is turned on to do its work. It is relevant mentioning some of the top grades of composites that are available these days include the Empress Direct and the GC G-aenial.
- They may have to use certain resources in form of wedges, cords and clear strips to create distinct margins of the tooth undergoing the treatment.
- First the tooth is built back and then it is brought to an ideal size and lastly it is polished several times to make it identical to the other natural teeth in the mouth. The polishing stage requires lot of water explains a dentist who charges reasonable cost for composite bonding in London.
- Lastly the bite of the patient is checked by the dentist and a final polish is given to the treated tooth before the treatment comes to end.
Although the steps may sound simple but a dentist has to undergo rigorous training for at least a few years at a stretch to master an array of skills be good in providing this particular treatment.
Filling Gaps Between the Teeth
The technique to fill up the gap in the teeth is broadly the same as the one mentioned above although there is a basic difference in the two procedures. In the procedure mentioned above the goal was aesthetic enhance of a tooth or teeth whereas in filling up a gap between the teeth there is no question of any aesthetic enhancement. So I is better to apply the composite bonding straightaway to the tooth or teeth to fill up the gap. The results of this procedure are always stunning as long as the proportions of the teeth remain natural suggest dentists working at the renowned Chatfield Dental Braces in Invisalign London.
Cost of the Treatment
Compared to the cost of other options like porcelain crowns, porcelain veneers, composite crowns and composite veneers this treatment is reasonably priced. Moreover this is a non invasive procedure that does not damage the natural structure of the tooth. As far as the prices of Composite Bonding London, UK are concerned it varies from case to case as well as practice to practice. Usually the cost ranges from £250 to £350 a tooth.
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