Composite Bonding
Repair a chip, close a gap, or reshape a tooth in a single visit with tooth-colored resin, at our Fremont, Cupertino, and Milpitas offices.
Composite bonding in the Bay Area
Bonding uses the same tooth-colored resin as a filling, sculpted by hand onto the front of a tooth and hardened with a light. It repairs a chip, closes a small gap, evens out a worn edge, or covers a mark that whitening did not shift, usually in 30 to 60 minutes per tooth. No impressions, no lab, no temporary, and in most cases no numbing.
It is the most conservative cosmetic treatment there is, because nothing healthy is removed from the tooth. For the right case it is also the least expensive. The American Dental Association has a short overview of how it works.
What bonding fixes
A chipped or cracked front tooth. A small gap between two teeth. An edge worn short by grinding, or one tooth that looks shorter than its neighbors. A stain that did not respond to whitening. An exposed root where the gum has receded. Any of these can usually be handled with bonding in a single appointment.
Bonding does not move teeth. It can soften the look of a slightly crooked edge, but real crowding or alignment belongs with orthodontics, and sometimes the best result is aligners first and bonding after.
Your visit
Your doctor matches the resin to your tooth, often layering two or three shades so the result has the same depth and translucency as enamel. The surface is lightly conditioned so the resin grips, the composite is built up and shaped, each layer is set with a curing light, and the finished bonding is trimmed and polished to a natural shine. You leave with the final result the same day.
Bonding works best when the change is small to moderate, the tooth underneath is healthy, and you do not grind heavily. If you do grind, a night guard is worth discussing first, because grinding is the main reason bonding fails early.
Bonding or veneers
Both can transform a smile; they get there differently. Bonding is one visit, removes nothing from the tooth, costs a fraction of veneers, and can be repaired or redone easily. Porcelain veneers are stronger, resist staining better, and last longer, but they need a thin layer of enamel removed and that is permanent.
As a rule, bonding is the right answer for one or two teeth and small changes. Veneers make more sense when several front teeth need reshaping at once, or when stain resistance matters most. Your doctor will show you what each would look like on your teeth before you decide.
Making it last
Bonding lasts for years with reasonable care, and when it eventually chips or dulls, a repair is a single short visit. The habits that shorten it are the obvious ones: biting fingernails, pens, ice, or hard candy, and heavy grinding. Coffee, red wine, and tobacco stain composite over time, though surface stain usually polishes out at your routine cleaning.
Two more things. Use a non-abrasive toothpaste, since harsh whitening pastes dull the polish. And if you want whiter teeth, whiten first and bond after. Composite does not lighten, so bonding placed before whitening will end up darker than the teeth around it.
Composite bonding, answered
Does bonding hurt?
Usually not. There is no drilling, so most bonding is done without numbing. If a chip sits close to the nerve or a root is exposed, your doctor may numb the area first.
How long does bonding last?
Several years with reasonable care, often longer. When it eventually chips or dulls, it is repaired in one short visit with no impressions or lab wait.
Will it match my teeth?
Yes. The resin is layered in more than one shade so it has the same depth and translucency as enamel. Done well, you cannot tell which tooth was treated.
Should I whiten first?
Yes. Composite does not lighten with whitening gel, so we match the bonding to your teeth after whitening, not before. See our whitening page for the options.
What does it cost?
It depends on how many teeth and how much shaping is involved. Bonding is the least expensive cosmetic treatment we offer. Cosmetic bonding is generally not covered by dental plans, though repairing a chipped tooth sometimes is. We check your plan and give you a written estimate before scheduling.
Can bonding fix crooked teeth?
Only slightly, by reshaping an edge. It cannot move teeth. For real alignment you want orthodontic treatment, and sometimes aligners first then bonding is the best sequence.
Does bonding stain?
More than porcelain, less than natural enamel. Coffee, tea, wine, and tobacco are the main causes. Surface stain usually polishes out at your routine cleaning. If staining is a big concern, veneers resist it better.