I have a small chipped of area on my upper front tooth in the inner corner. What are the options? Is dental bonding one? (Photo)

Question

My local dentist suggests filling if I really want it done, but than she had to drill, which i'm not comfertable doing. I searched on the inernet and I discovered something called "dental bonding", would that be an option for me? How long does it last? And do you have to damage/drill your tooth before inserting bonding? And if bonding does not work out, will you still have the same outlook before doing bonding?

Amir R. Koopah, DDS · Answer

The dental bonding would be a very good option since it's very conservative and does not require any removal of the healthy tooth structure. It is long lasting if it's done correctly and quality material is used. It only requires slight roughening/polishing of the tooth prior to bonding the material.

Paula S. Gould, DDS · Answer

We cosmetic dentists see this problem a lot. It looks like a small easy fix, but not always.   The first approach is to find out what caused it.  An accident, or wear from a bottom tooth? The opposing tooth or teeth that are causing the problem must  be addressed first, and recontoured , re shaped, to not cause the tiny cracks at the edge of the upper tooth.Yes, it is fine to polish away a little enamel without a problem.Now for the top tooth....small fractures are always the most difficult to fix, at least in my 32 years practicing. We want to be as conservative as possible, BOND the tooth, with as little bonding material as possible, and have the shade match.  No easy job. So it might require just a little shaping and roughing with a drill to get the bonded filling to adhere properly.  Then polish, and hope it stays.  A lot of stress on front teeth, eating, sliding, etc. So it's a difficult area to fix.Then there are cases where the patient is lucky, and one tooth is different length than the other.  We first decide if we just polish off the cracked edge, will the tooth be a pleasing length? That's an important decision that should be discussed and tested on the patient. I've seen cases where someone shortened a patients teeth so much, that bonding wouldn't work to fix the problem, and I had to use veneers.So my dear, your dentist was probably referring to bonding a white filling material to your tooth as the type of procedure she would do.In your case, your teeth are about the correct length, so we cannot just polish the edge away.  Bonding is the way to go!

I have a small chipped of area on my upper front tooth in the inner corner. What are the options? Is dental bonding one? (Photo)

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Dental Bonding

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I have a small chipped of area on my upper front tooth in the inner corner. What are the options? Is dental bonding one? (Photo)

Answers (2)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Dental Bonding

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.