Composite bonding is a popular way of filling cavities and replacing metal fillings, and can also be used to close gaps between teeth and repair broken or chipped teeth; it is a popular choice with Nottingham dentists and is a popular method to prevent the need for dental guide to practice sales notices from arriving. It uses a material called ‘dental composite’, which is a mouldable white paste-textured material made out of acrylic resins. It’s not a very strong substance and is not suitable for large cavities, but it looks quite natural and is available everywhere. It stains quicker than natural teeth too, but this shouldn’t matter too much on fillings at the back of the mouth.

What is involved in composite bonding?

If your procedure requires a local anaesthetic you will be given this first (not all procedures do). Then the dentist will thoroughly clean the area where the composite is to be applied so as to create a good surface to bond to. There is a choice of colours with composite bonding, and the dentist will pick the one that best matches your natural teeth. The tooth is kept dry using cotton rolls while the dentist carries out any necessary reshaping, and then the surface is roughened with acid gel. The composite is then applied to the tooth. This is done slowly in several thin layers until the desired size and shape have been acquired, and when it is finished a special curing light is shone onto it to make the composite harden and set. The final stage is to polish and buff the new tooth surface to make it smooth.

Things to Note

This is a procedure which requires a high level of artistic skill to get a good finish and not all dentists work at the same skill level. If you want to check out how good your dentist is before you have it done, you can ask to see photos of their previous work, and ask them for any details of training courses and experience they have in the area of composite bonding. Treatment like a cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk/articles/root-canal.html may also be necessary before you can even begin the treatment, in some cases.

Composite bonding is a great method for repairing chips, making small fillings and reshaping teeth to cover gaps and is offered by a range of practitioner in dental jobs think of this treatment so highly.  But if you want major repairs such as larger fillings or full veneers then you’re better off with porcelain or ceramics as these are stronger and will last a lot longer, they also won’t stain your other teeth in the same way that composite might.

The upside to composite is the ability to choose a shade which matches your teeth, making it harder to detect, the downside is obviously that if you choose it for more extensive work you’ll end up needing it replaced every couple of years and after a couple of replacements may decide on a different option anyway which is why most London dentists would recommend other options for larger work.

The first step is to clean the tooth up and roughen the surface to allow the dental cement to stick properly.  The shade of composite that matches your teeth is picked and the area to be worked on is masked off using cotton or latex.

Multiple layers of the compound are applied, being hardened at each stage by a curing light which activates the compound.  When all of the composite is in place your dentist will buff and polish the surface to get the ideal shape and finish for the most natural looking result.

However easy and cheap an option composite bonding might seem, remember that it won’t be as strong as other methods of repair.  You might also want to be careful which dentist you choose for this procedure thinking about things like their relative dental courses experience as the finish varies with artistic ability, asking to see examples of their other work is a good way to judge this.