Wondering how long dental bonding lasts? Our Edmonton dentists answer this question and others about how the process works, financial considerations, and alternatives.
What is dental bonding?
Dental bonding is the process of your dentist applying a tooth-coloured composite resin to your tooth surfaces. This treatment effectively repairs chips, decay, fractures or discolouration.
This material helps to fill gaps left by a cavity and can help to improve the appearance of your teeth, potentially significantly changing the appearance of your teeth before and after dental bonding.
How long Dental Bonding Lasts
The effects of dental bonding typically last for 4 to 8 years. The effects could potentially last longer, depending on several factors:
- How well you maintain a thorough oral hygiene routine (including daily brushing and flossing)
- Which areas of your mouth are bonded
- Whether you attend your regularly scheduled dental appointments (twice yearly)
- Your eating habits
How long your dental bonding lasts mostly comes down to how well you care for your teeth. Avoid acidic or sugary foods, as these can wear on your teeth. If you enjoy fruit, brush and floss your teeth soon after so plaque or bacteria does not have the chance to grow.
Also avoid chewing ice, hard candy, grinding your teeth or biting down too hard, all of which can chip the bonding material.
Of utmost importance, however, is maintaining a consistent and thorough oral hygiene routine. The healthier the natural tooth material around the bonding material remains, the longer the restoration will last.
What are the benefits of dental bonding?
If you choose dental bonding to improve your teeth's appearance, there are several notable benefits:
Changes appearance of teeth: Dental bonding can help adjust the colour and shape of your teeth for a more symmetrical look.
Non-invasive: Dental bonding is a relatively non-invasive cosmetic procedure, and you won't require any recovery time.
Quick treatment: We can usually perform the procedure in just one visit.
Cost-effective: Dental bonding is generally considered to be a cost-effective alternative to more extensive cosmetic dental procedures such as crowns, bridges and veneers.
Long-lasting: As long as you care for your smile properly, you can expect the effects of dental bonding to last for 4 to 8 years, or longer in some cases.
What does dental bonding cost?
Patients who come to us for dental bonding procedures often have questions about cost. Your specific cost will depend on a few factors:
- The number of teeth being repaired
- Scope of work, location and size of the areas of the mouth being bonded
- Your location – costs may change depending on which city and dental practice performs the procedure
- How much of the procedure is covered by insurance (this may depend on whether your issue is primarily structural or cosmetic)