One of the most popular cosmetic dentistry procedures is dental bonding. This remarkable technology allows your dentist to effectively repair a wide variety of minor dental issues – from chipped and cracked teeth to badly stained teeth to closing gaps in between teeth and much more.
If you’re from in or around the Austin, Texas area and want to learn more about dental bonding, this is a good place to start. One commonly asked question involves whether there’s such a thing as dental bonding at home. Read on to find out the answer and more information about bonding.
The Dental Bonding Process
Finding out whether or not you are a good candidate for bonding is the first step in the process, and one that only your dentist can determine. It all depends on what kind of dental issue you’re trying to resolve and where the affected tooth (or teeth) are located inside your mouth.
But deciding whether or not bonding is the best choice for you goes beyond that. Because of their personal habits, some people may be better candidates than others.
Dental bonding is not intended for serious dental problems. But if your issues are minor, bonding may be an option. What follows are some oral health concerns that can be addressed by dental bonding:
- Chipped teeth
- Cracked teeth
- Misaligned teeth
- Misshapen teeth
- Badly stained teeth that can’t be whitened by whitening products
- Worn down teeth
- Wide gaps in between teeth
Assuming that the damage to your teeth isn’t too extensive, bonding can effectively correct any of these issues. But bonding is not recommended for molars in the back of your mouth. That’s because those teeth must endure heavy pressure each and every time you chew food, and the composite resin material used in the dental bonding process isn’t strong enough to withstand that pressure. Instead, bonding is recommended for front teeth only – teeth that typically don’t need to withstand the same amount of chewing pressure as molars.
Once you and your dentist make the determination that bonding is the right choice for you, the process will begin with your dentist gently roughing the affected teeth. After that, he or she will mix the composite resin material in a shade that will exactly match the color of your natural teeth. Then your dentist will apply the bonding material to your teeth, literally molding the material to repair whatever the problem is and create an absolutely perfect and natural looking tooth. The last step involves your dentist using a curing light to harden the bonding material.
Can You Bond Your Own Teeth At Home?
The short answer is yes, you can. But should you? Most definitely not! Although there are over-the-counter DIY dental bonding kits available, trying to repair your own teeth is never a good idea. The only exception is if you damage a tooth and use a dental repair kit to temporarily repair the tooth until you can get in to see your dentist. But most dental professionals would agree that even in these circumstances, it’s best to wait until your dentist can make the repairs for you.
Any time you attempt to do DIY dentistry, you run the very real risk of making things much worse than they were to begin with. Worse yet, there may be some underlying more serious issue that you’re unaware of – one that requires the expertise of a trained dental professional. A cracked tooth, for example, may seem like something you could repair with an over-the-counter dental bonding kit. But only certain cracked teeth are good candidates for bonding. If the crack has been present for some time, it’s possible that food particles and bacteria can enter into the tooth through the crack. This can cause infection and even an abscess. But you would never know that yourself without the benefit of dental X-rays. And that’s just one example. Here are some of the other reasons to avoid DIY dental kits:
- DIY tooth repair kits don’t include the same high-quality materials that dentists use. So even if you could effectively repair a tooth, that repair would only last a short period of time.
- You won’t be able to match the natural color of your other teeth with a DIY dental bonding kit. That means that the DIY repair would stand out like a sore thumb – or, in this case, a poorly repaired tooth.
- Without the expertise of a dentist viewing your dental X-rays, you have no way of knowing whether decay exists in the affected tooth. And the longer you wait to have decay removed, the more serious the problem will become.
- Dental bonding requires a great deal of expertise. Molding material in the shape of a tooth may sound simple, but it’s far from it. Only an experienced dental professional can mold the composite resin material into a perfect-looking tooth.
- If you try to repair your own teeth at home, you could create a much worse situation than the one you started off with. We mentioned the possibility for decay and infection earlier, but there are other dangers of practicing DIY dentistry. Trying to bond your own teeth can very easily throw your bite off, and that can mean uneven wearing down of your other teeth and can eventually lead to jaw problems and even tooth loss.
- Although DIY kits may seem like a cheap solution, you get what you pay for! Saving a few dollars today for one of these at-home kits could lead to expensive and extensive dental repairs down the road.
Any DIY dental repair kit should only be used in emergency situations, and you’ll need to get in to see your dentist as soon as possible so he or she can make permanent repairs.
When it comes to dental bonding at home, we have one piece of advice: don’t do it! Instead, call your Austin, Texas dentist today to find out more about dental bonding and whether or not it’s the right choice for you. This amazing technology is a relatively inexpensive, quick way to resolve a variety of minor dental issues, but it should always be left in the hands of a trained dental professional.
