Dental Bonding in Stockton, CA

Dental bonding uses a tooth-colored composite resin, applied directly to the tooth, shaped by hand, and hardened in place. Because everything happens chairside, there is no laboratory stage and no waiting between appointments.

What bonding is good for

Bonding suits small, contained problems on teeth that are otherwise sound:

• Minor chips along an edge
• Small gaps between front teeth
• Shallow surface irregularities
• Localized discoloration on a single tooth
• Exposed root surfaces where the gum has receded

For larger corrections, or where several front teeth need to match one another, porcelain veneers usually give a better and longer-lasting result.

Bonding versus veneers versus crowns

These three sit on a spectrum of how much tooth they cover and how much they cost.

Bonding covers a small area, is applied in one visit, and is the least expensive. Veneers cover the whole front surface, are made in a laboratory from porcelain, and resist staining better over time. Crowns cover the entire tooth and are the right answer when the tooth is structurally compromised rather than simply imperfect.

The deciding factor is usually whether the tooth is damaged or merely blemished. Bonding is a cosmetic fix on a healthy tooth; it is not a structural repair.

How long it lasts

Composite resin is softer than porcelain and more porous, which means it can stain over time from the same coffee, tea and wine that darken natural teeth. Bonded areas cannot be lightened by whitening either, since bleaching agents do not act on composite.

Bonding can be polished, repaired and replaced when needed. Avoiding habits that chip it, biting nails, opening packaging with your teeth, extends its life considerably. If you grind your teeth, that should be addressed first, or the new bonding will chip the same way your enamel did.

Where bonding fits between the alternatives

Bonding, veneers and crowns sit on a spectrum defined by how much of the tooth they cover and how much they cost.

Bonding covers a small area, is applied in one visit, and is the least expensive of the three. Porcelain veneers cover the whole front surface, are made in a dental laboratory, and resist staining better over time. Crowns cover the entire tooth and are the right answer when it is structurally compromised rather than imperfect.

The question that decides it

Is the tooth damaged, or is it sound and you dislike how it looks? Bonding is a cosmetic fix on a healthy tooth. It is not a structural repair, and using it as one leads to repeat failures.

Making bonding last

Composite is softer than enamel and considerably softer than porcelain. Habits that chip it are the obvious ones, biting nails, chewing ice, opening packaging with your teeth.

Less obviously, grinding and clenching will chip new bonding the way it chipped the enamel it replaced, so that is addressed first where it is present.

Bonded areas are checked at routine visits along with the rest of your dental work, and can be polished or repaired long before they need replacing.

To find out whether bonding is the right repair, request an appointment or call (209) 951-3436. Cosmetic work is not usually covered by dental insurance; our patient information page sets out the payment options available.