Teeth Bonding

[luvsJack]

DD is in the last couple of months of wearing braces. But the orthodontist has asked us if we would like to have some bonding done on some of her teeth.

Her teeth are now straight and look so good, but a few of them are just shaped a little different from the "perfect tooth shape". Bonding would make them shaped completely perfect.

So, we have to decide in the next 7 weeks if we want this done.

I asked about them breaking and the ortho said that she would have to take care of them--no biting into apples, for example--to make sure they don't break. She also said that she would have to be careful of drinking a lot of cokes or coffee or tea because of staining. OTOH, she said that she had a friend in dental school that had some bonding done about 15 years before school and had forgotten about having it even done.

So, before we decide, I was just wondering any cons of having this done.

We know the biggest pro will be her smile will be almost perfect.

 

[JVL1018]

I chipped my front tooth in 5th grade. It's bonded and I have never watched what I ate because of it.
It did break off once, but that's because my son accidentally whacked me in the mouth with his Nintendo DS, and that was years and years after it was originally done. I went to the dentist, had it redone and its been fine for..I guess it's been about 6 years now.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

My DD has perfect teeth but she chipped one in the very front, and she had a small gap in between her teeth that bothered her. We had a little bit of bonding done and her teeth look perfect now. the reason I went this way is because my mother had some bonding done about 14 years ago and she has not had any problems at all.

 

[mad madam mim78]

I had a decent gap between my two front teeth and had them bonded to close the gap. I've never had an issue with discoloration or breaking. I've even used teeth whitening kits and those work on the bonded area. It was one of the better decisions I have made as far as my appearance goes. I had it done 20 years ago at the age of 14.

I eat apples and hard candy also. No issues.

 

[Janepod]

I chipped my front tooth in 5th grade. It's bonded and I have never watched what I ate because of it.

Same here. And I've been eating apples almost every day with them for 35 years.

I did have to have the bond redone once; can't remember why. It was maybe 10 years ago, meaning I had the first bond last 25 years.

 

[Schmeck]

Depends on the extent of the bonding - my older daughter has an enamel issue (genetic? over-fluoridation? antibiotics?) and needed all her teeth bonded. I wish there was a better solution, as the process is invasive and nonreversible. They have to remove some of the good enamel to get a rough surface for the bonding to stick.

For a small cosmetic issue, sure. For a huge, mouth-wide issue, no.

 

[DebbieB]

I had spaces between my front teeth plus a little chip on the surface of my one front tooth. I got bonding about 20-25 years ago and it's been great. I have had to get them repaired 2 or 3 times but not a big deal. It make a big difference in my confidence, I didn't like to smile before. I am careful what I bite into, I always slice apples.

 

[HM]

Sounds like she looks just fine with her "real" teeth to me. I would not do it if it were my child. I don't feel like my kids or myself need to have "perfect" teeth, just healthy aligned teeth. Unless she looks really strange for some reason, and I don't get that vibe from you, I don't see the need.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

My dd15 had bonding put on after she had her braces off. She has 4 teeth in the front that are really small, I forget the medical term for this. She went to her reg. pediatric dentist to have it done. When I asked, he said there were no restrictions on eating and that the bonding is really strong. He did say not to have her teeth whitened b/c the bonding wouldn't match the teeth.

 

[mickeyboat]

DD12 is getting braces in a couple of months, and her orthodontist expects she will need to have some bonding done. I think I will wait and see what they look like once she's done with her treatment.

I had a chip in my front tooth and had it repaired many years ago. I had no trouble with that repair. I just had it redone earlier this year, and it has really discolored. I am going to see if the dentist can fix it when I go in for my next cleaning. I don't know if she used an inferior product, or what, but it discolored immediately. She never mentioned to stay away from things that might stain it.

 

[4nana]

I think it depends on how perfect your DD feels her teeth need to look . My DD had a peg lateral incisor that we had it bonded when she was in 6th grade, making it look normal. I can't begin to tell you how much better she felt about it and still looks great 25 yrs later!! My DGS has both lateral incisors pegged and will have them bonded when he's out of braces. I think it's a miracle the wonderful technology they have available for making less than perfect teeth look great!

FYI: bonding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8vs4LogwHc

 

[PrincessKsMom]

I fell in 1979 and chipped my front tooth and had it bonded. The bonding has fallen out twice in that time, once while I was eating sunflower seeds.

My daughter has always had horrible teeth. They are extremely soft. After the braces they were left in even worse shape. They looked straight but extremely discolored and much weaker. Makes me rethink those braces. Anyway her dentist has bonded much of her front teeth and we have had issues with the bonding falling off/chipping (the day before 8th grade graduation) It's a constant worry but there's really nothing else we can do. As a PP said, they have to scrape down some of the good enamel to get the bonding to stick so there's no going back. Dentist has told us at one point DD will need to have all of her teeth capped but it can wait until she has her own dental plan and is an adult. He also said that if we whiten her teeth we can use over the counter stuff but we should only do it once and not repeatedly because it will further weaken her teeth and will also be noticeable against the color of the bonding.

 

[luvsJack]

Thanks all! I am thinking we will discuss this a lot. She has to be willing to take care of them. Also, it may be a bit after the braces come off because of the cost.

Once she thinks she knows what she wants to do, I am thinking about making a dentist appointment and discussing it with him/her.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I have bonding on my front teeth, they were bad from when I was little... and then fluorosis and calcification from flouride treatments, caused them to become weak and chalky and to wear and become cracked. Veneers would have been ideal, but no way could I afford them!!!

I have had NO problem with chipping, etc.. None at all.

My husband has a chip off his front tooth that is bonded.

I am not sure what you are hearing... I understand that good bonding is a high-tech material that does not stain even as much as natural teeth. Staining would not be an issue at all.

Sometimes, due to exactly the area bonded and how good of a bond they can get, one has to be a little carefull, or they can chip off. But, it is not like you can't eat or drink as normal!!! Yes, a bond can chip off, just as any tooth could, if one bites into something hard in just the wrong way. But, it is not like one has to worry and eat baby food.

Bottom line, if your daughter does want that picture perfect smile, I would consider the bonding. If, by chance, one does chip off, simple enough to replace....

However, I will give you one big word of warning....
It does NOT sound like this dentist/orthodontist knows enough about bonding... they do not stain, not even as much as normal tooth dentin. And a really good bond should not be so very fragile either.

I am just going to go ahead and throw this out here... it crossed my mind that this Dr. is pushing this as a way to promote services and line his pockets. I wonder just how much he really knows about bonding, and how long he has been doing bonding.

I would consider bonding, but I would NOT be put under pressure to make a decision and have it down 'now'.... that alone would make me question this Dr. I would go to a dentist who you believe can do a truly exceptional job of creating a beautiful and long-lasting bond. You are talking about a teenaged girls front teeth... You want to feel sure that you know you are going to an experienced and accomplished dentist who views this as an art-form... not a bonus paycheck for an orthodontist. Most of which do not practice any other dentistry.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

DD is in the last couple of months of wearing braces. But the orthodontist has asked us if we would like to have some bonding done on some of her teeth.

Her teeth are now straight and look so good, but a few of them are just shaped a little different from the "perfect tooth shape". Bonding would make them shaped completely perfect.

So, we have to decide in the next 7 weeks if we want this done.

I asked about them breaking and the ortho said that she would have to take care of them--no biting into apples, for example--to make sure they don't break. She also said that she would have to be careful of drinking a lot of cokes or coffee or tea because of staining. OTOH, she said that she had a friend in dental school that had some bonding done about 15 years before school and had forgotten about having it even done.

So, before we decide, I was just wondering any cons of having this done.

We know the biggest pro will be her smile will be almost perfect.

I think you have to weigh the pros and cons of each "side".

If her smile is "good" (though maybe not "perfect"), I'd probably leave well enough alone since bonding does involve permanent changes to the teeth, and there can be problems, particularly if not done right. (I'd go to a cosmetic dentist if I were going to have it done.) At the very least, allow her to live with her natural smile for a while once the braces are off (as I see you'll be doing). You can always go back in later to do it. But once you do it, you can't go back to natural, you know? As they say, hindsight is 20/20. You never want to say, "I wish I knew then what I know now" if you experience problems, that's the worst, especially when it was optional (as opposed to necessary from an accident or whatever).

Some of the discoloration occurs from "around" the bonding as opposed to the bonding itself. Especially from things like coffee, tea, sodas, etc. I think biting into things is less of an issue today than it was years ago thanks to newer bonding techniques. But you still have to be careful.

I seem to recall a thread here about braces and perfect smiles. Some felt that everyone's walking around with the same perfect smile today. I don't think there's anything wrong with a unique smile, if it's otherwise good. My DD was one of the seemingly few who didn't need braces, unless we wanted to improve her smile to perfect according to the orthodontist. She and we chose to forego the braces (for now) and she gets lots of compliments on her smile. (DS has a perfect smile without braces, had lots of spaces when he was little and they always told us spaces were good!)

I, for one, love unique smiles and don't think that everyones' smiles have to be perfect. Just my $.02.

 

[luvsJack]

I think you have to weigh the pros and cons of each "side".

If her smile is "good" (though maybe not "perfect"), I'd probably leave well enough alone since bonding does involve permanent changes to the teeth, and there can be problems, particularly if not done right. (I'd go to a cosmetic dentist if I were going to have it done.) At the very least, allow her to live with her natural smile for a while once the braces are off (as I see you'll be doing). You can always go back in later to do it. But once you do it, you can't go back to natural, you know? As they say, hindsight is 20/20. You never want to say, "I wish I knew then what I know now" if you experience problems, that's the worst, especially when it was optional (as opposed to necessary from an accident or whatever).

Some of the discoloration occurs from "around" the bonding as opposed to the bonding itself. Especially from things like coffee, tea, sodas, etc. I think biting into things is less of an issue today than it was years ago thanks to newer bonding techniques. But you still have to be careful.

I seem to recall a thread here about braces and perfect smiles. Some felt that everyone's walking around with the same perfect smile today. I don't think there's anything wrong with a unique smile, if it's otherwise good. My DD was one of the seemingly few who didn't need braces, unless we wanted to improve her smile to perfect according to the orthodontist. She and we chose to forego the braces (for now) and she gets lots of compliments on her smile. (DS has a perfect smile without braces, had lots of spaces when he was little and they always told us spaces were good!)

I, for one, love unique smiles and don't think that everyones' smiles have to be perfect. Just my $.02.

Thanks! The fact of it being permanent and not being able to go back and get rid of it is the thing that had me the most concerned.

Dd is really worried about how she is going to look with the braces off anyway and all this talk about possibly needing some bonding isn't really helping that worry. I am really leaning toward seeing what her teeth look like without the braces, getting used to her "new" smile and going from there.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yep... definitely NO hurry! Don't let the orthodontist try to pressure you into having done 'now' as the braces come off...

 

[suzimar57]

i had a rather large gap (think: vanessa paradis size) filled in with bonding over 15 years ago on my front teeth

never had a problem - it is still looking "perfect"

my DH wanted it done because it always bothered me, how it looked

i'm very glad i had it done - really made a difference!