Bonding is a pretty straightforward and timely procedure; anesthetic is rarely needed and it’s quite cost effective and minimally invasive compared to other options, like veneers. However, there are factors to consider to ensure your decision is an educated one.

To begin, because it’s matched to your tooth’s current shade, if you decide to whiten later on that bonding will no longer match the rest of the tooth, since it’s not technically part of your own tooth. For this reason we recommend patients whiten to their desired shade prior to bonding. BUT, because teeth naturally discolor over time, you may find that eventually your tooth is marginally off-shade compared to the bonded area. To combat this, we suggest whitening as needed to avoid any drastic swings in shade between the two areas. Diet and other habits can determine how often it will be needed, a rough range can be anywhere from 2-3 months to 6 months+.

Another factor to be mindful of is durability. Resin bonding is simply not as strong as porcelain veneers. If a patient tends to grind a lot or shows signs of excessive wear in the areas being considered for bonding, it may not be a good fit as they’ll just break/chip off and the patient will be right back where they started.

If the area of concern is more aligned with minor chips, small gaps, or lengthening of the ends of teeth, then dental bonding could be a great solution. It is imperative to remember though that before anything is decided upon, a thorough dental exam and conversation with your dentist is necessary. It’s possible that there are underlying issues that would make both veneers and bonding bad options until those other problems are addressed. There are many ways to go about improving a smile, and bonding is certainly an effective and easy way to go about doing just that!