Bonding Gallery
Bonding is a way to restore chipped, discolored, and poorly shaped teeth in a single visit. The results are very natural but bonding does take more maintenance than porcelain veneers and does not tend to last as long. However, less tooth structure needs to be removed, which makes it a more conservative choice for some cases.
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Bonding Gallery Case 1 by
This tooth has a developmental defect, which is called a "peg lateral." This only happens to the lateral teeth, which are one tooth away from the centerline of the mouth. There is nothing wrong with the tooth but the patient wanted to have it treated for cosmetic reasons.
The treatment consisted of shaping the tooth to look like a natural lateral tooth with a composite material. This procedure took one appointment and was done without any anesthetic. Periodic polishing will help maintain the shine and luster of this restoration for many years.
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Bonding Gallery Case 2 by
This is an old tooth-colored filling that has been in service for many years and needs to be replaced because of the color and because bacteria can enter the tooth due to the filling wearing out.
The filling has been replaced with a newer tooth-colored filling that should last for many years. This restoration was completed in one office visit.
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Bonding Gallery Case 3 by
This patient was unhappy with the space between two of her teeth. This was caused as a result of a periodontal (gum) defect between the teeth.
Composite, which is tooth colored material, was bonded to both of the teeth. This procedure took one office visit. The result was a more esthetic appearance and it gave the patient confidence to smile again.
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Bonding Gallery Case 4 by
This patient had severely chipped teeth and wanted them fixed as soon as possible. The options were porcelain veneers, porcelain crowns, or composite veneers. One of the advantages of bonding is that it can usually be completed in one visit.
The patient chose to go with the composite veneers, which are hand sculpted and bonded in place, because they were the least expensive treatment option. They do have the shortest life expectancy and need periodic polishing but if they are taken care of and you are careful, they can last for many years.
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Bonding Gallery Case 5 by
This patient was unhappy with two issues; the space between her upper front teeth and the different heights of the gum tissue above her teeth, which made one tooth look shorter than the other.
Step one of her treatment was to even out the height of the gum tissue. After that healed, which took a several weeks, the space, which dentists call a diastema, was closed using composites bonded to her teeth. The total number of treatments was two; one for the gum tissue and one for the bonding and the result was exactly what the patient had in mind.
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Bonding Gallery Case 6 by
The lateral, or side tooth, had an old tooth colored filling that was showing its age. Older composites were much more porous than the newer composites and, therefore, they discolored more over time.
In one office visit, the old filling was removed and replaced with new composite bonding material. The result makes it appear as if the tooth is very natural.
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Bonding Gallery Case 7 by
This patient did not like the natural gap between his two front teeth.
Composite bonding was placed and this was the result that was achieved after one office visit. Bonding does take periodic touch-ups to keep it looking like new.
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Bonding Gallery Case 8 by
This is an example of severe decay caused by neglect. The dark areas signify tooth decay. All of the decay must be removed before any restoration of the teeth can begin.
After all the decay was removed, the teeth were restored with composite bonding in one appointment. The ideal treatment plan would have been to place porcelain crowns but it was not an option due to finances. The patient was very happy with the results.
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Bonding Gallery Case 9 by
This patient was not happy with the color of her teeth and the worn edges of her top teeth, which was due to her grinding habits.
First, her teeth were lightened with an at home whitening process. When she was happy with the color, composite bonding was added to the edges to restore the natural tooth structure that she lost from grinding.
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Bonding Gallery Case 10 by
There are several issues with this patient's teeth. He is a heavy grinder, which is what causes the edges of the teeth to chip away, and the grinding is what causes the wear patterns you can see in the lower image. The yellowish area is the second layer of tooth structure, which is the dentin. The dentin is much softer than the outer layer of tooth, which is enamel. If you look closely at the top image, you will also see that the teeth are starting to wear away at the gum line, which can be caused by grinding or it can be caused by brushing too hard.
The treatment consisted of composite bonding at the gum line, at the edges of the teeth, and on the inside as well as making a nightguard to protect not only the composite but the tooth structure as well. The results were very good when compared to the before images. The patient did not want the space closed.