Can Bonding Be Removed Without Taking Away Any Tooth Structure? How Should It Be Done?

Yes and no.  Removing bonding (or composite resin) requires the use of the drill.  Removing it can be done with very little damage to the underlying enamel but to say that NO enamel will be removed would be dishonest.   

Yes the bonding can be removed without damaging the exosting enamel.  It can be doen with an ultrasonic cleaner that vibrates at a very high frequency, followed by a polish with fine pumice.  It can also be removed with a flame finished carbide burr run on a slow speed handpiece and followed with a fine pumice polish.

In order to maximize tooth structure and not "lose" any more enamel these are the tips that we use.

1. Etch the restoration and tooth and then dry. The restoration will be a different color and the tooth will appear chalky giving the dentist a guide on where to begin

2. The use of an air abrasion unit that uses aluminum oxide powder can selectively remove composite and retain solid enamel

3. You need to determine is the original bonding procedure consisted of any enamel reshaping, because the tooth may be shaped differently and some restorative procedures may be needed to get the correct shape.

4.We also have a microscope to magnify the area by approx 16x and this really helps. A microscope is not a must but some sort of magnification or loupe should be used.