‘Composite veneers’ and ‘composite bonding’ have seen a huge increase in popularity. Every day we see celebrities and influencers with beautiful white teeth achieved through composite bonding or composite veneers.
Maybe you are considering composite bonding yourself, but are worried it could damage your teeth?
Lets take a look at what composite bonding is and the factors you need to be aware of before starting treatment.
What is composite bonding?
Composite is a resin-like dental material that has been around since the 1980s. Advances in technology mean that the material has continued to get better and better, allowing dentists to create beautiful smiles without the costs and drilling involved with porcelain veneers.
Composite is bonded (glued) directly on to your existing tooth. It can either be used to fix small chips or uneven edges – this is ‘composite bonding’. It can also be applied to the entire front surface of the tooth in order to improve its shape and/or colour – this is a ‘composite veneer’.
Depending on your goals, composite can be used to improve the appearance of just one tooth, or can be applied to multiple teeth to create a whiter, brighter smile.
Composite is placed over your existing tooth, meaning that no drilling of teeth is usually required unlike with porcelain veneers. Treatment with porcelain veneers usually means some enamel needs to be removed from the front of the tooth to create space for the porcelain.
This means that composite veneers are much less invasive than porcelain veneers, however, it does not mean they are ‘reversible’. Once the composite is placed, they cannot be removed easily.
Who is suitable for composite veneers / bonding?
If you have chipped, discoloured, or gappy teeth, or are just unhappy with your overall smile, composite can be used to give you a beautiful smile.
If your teeth are particularly discoloured, composite may need to be used along side tooth whitening in order to achieve your desired goals.
Composite can be used to improve mild crowding in some cases. As composite is added to the surface of the teeth, it is difficult to treat teeth that are significantly crowded without making the teeth very bulky which would result in a poor appearance of the final smile. Usually in these cases we combine composite along with Invisalign treatment in order to create a beautiful smile.
How long does composite last?
Research shows us that ‘composite bonding’ and ‘composite veneers’ usually last around 5-7 years.
This does not mean all your composites will just fall out! Usually at this point, the composite is beginning to lose some of its shine, or may be starting to stain.
It may be that these can be polished to improve the appearance and maintain them for another few years, or they could be resurfaced and have a new layer of composite placed to return them back to their original shine.
How well they are looked after will also have an effect on their lifespan. Patients who grind their teeth may find that composite wears or chips more often if they do not wear a protective splint of a night.
What is involved in composite bonding / composite veneers?
In most cases, composite bonding or composite veneers can be carried out in a single appointment.
There may be some appointments required prior to the day of your treatment in order to plan your perfect smile depending on the changes planned.
On the day of treatment, your dentist may decide to anaesthetise / numb your teeth before starting in order to keep you comfortable.
The composite is then carefully added and sculpted to your teeth, and a special light is then used to set and harden the material.
The composites will then be smoothed and polished to create a beautiful result.
Learn more about composite bonding
If you wish to learn more about composite bonding then please feel free to contact us on 01695576165 where one of our reception team will be more than happy to help.
