Featuring Dr. Jeffrey Norden, DMD

Duration: 1 minute, 52 seconds

One of the ways most people think of improving their smile is with veneers, and when they think veneers, they usually think of porcelain or ceramic veneers. 

But another way that is very common is using bonding. The main difference between bonding and porcelain is that they’re both veneers, but with bonding we tend to use materials that we have here right in the office. Composite bonding involves taking a resin enamel-like substance that we have here in the office and bonding it to your teeth. 

We shape it very similar to porcelain or ceramic veneers, and we’re also able to use different layering techniques to give you the same life-like qualities that a porcelain or ceramic veneer would have. Most times when we want to do bonding, we’d be looking at a younger patient where we’re really thinking about trying to conserve as much of the enamel as possible. 

Bonding is usually a more conservative procedure than when we’re doing porcelain or ceramic veneers because we don’t usually have to cut the tooth very much at all. The main advantages of composite bonding is that it’s economical, it’s very conservative to the tooth structure, and, actually, you’re able to repair it. The main disadvantage of composite bonding is that the material’s more likely to chip and stain over a period of time.

When people ask about composite bonding, they should tell them that composite bonding is a great way to improve your smile for a short to medium term. And maybe later on you may want to go to a porcelain or ceramic veneer.

 

Presenter: Dr. Jeffrey Norden, General Dentist, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: General Dentist