Tooth Bonding

in Cedar Rapids and Marion, Iowa

In these days of sophisticated cosmetic dentistry, our teeth can be improved and enhanced in many ways, some more complex than others, but all effective. Tooth bonding is one of the more simple procedures for transforming your smile, perhaps deceptively simple, as it takes an experienced and talented dentist to do it well. Dr. McLaughlin has been producing outstanding bonding results for his Cedar Rapids, Iowa patients for many years now. It is a speedy and effective way to brighten a smile in just one visit.

What is bonding?

Dental bonding material is a putty-like composite of plastics and dental resins. It comes in a variety of shades. Dr. McLaughlin will choose a shade that closely matches your natural teeth. If you’d also like to whiten your teeth, that should be done first, so he can choose a shade that will match your new bright white.

Bonding can address many problems

Any small defects such as the following can be corrected quickly by artistic use of teeth bonding:

• Chips
• Cavities
• Stains
• light crookedness
• Slight misalignment
• Small gaps between teeth
• Mismatches in size of adjacent teeth

Dr. McLaughlin applies the bonding and shapes it to correct the slight crookedness or fill the little chip. You can then look in a mirror to see if you like the general effect. Before he makes it permanent, it can be fine-tuned. It could even be partially hardened, removed, and given to you to take home for a while. It will be a little shell-like shape that you can place and remove to test it and see how you like it in the next few days. At this stage it isn’t fully cured or polished, but it can give an idea of your final results.

The procedure

Unless a cavity is being filled, no anesthetic is needed. The surface of the tooth to be treated is slightly buffed, or roughened, so it will hold the bonding better. Dr. McLaughlin then applies a conditioning liquid and the bonding material. When it’s the right shape and both you and he are happy with it, a curing light is used to harden it. It can be fine-tuned some more after hardening and then will be polished to a pearly sheen. The whole procedure takes anywhere from a half-hour to an hour.

If you would like to enhance your smile in one simple visit through tooth bonding, please contact Dental Touch Associates in Marion, Iowa. Dr. Blaine McLaughlin has been serving cosmetic dentistry patients in Iowa for ten years now.