Bonding Over Bonding: Straight Talk About Tooth Bonding for Children

Bonding Over Bonding: Straight Talk About Tooth Bonding for Children

Teeth that come in crooked. Wide gaps between teeth. Teeth that are cracked or chipped during sports or play. Childhood can be rough on those pearly whites. Your child’s imperfect smile is still beautiful, of course, and a bit of an imperfection can certainly add to one’s character. But to improve the look of imperfect teeth, dental bonding is a safe, relatively inexpensive way to fix problems such as gaps or chips. Best of all, bonding can usually be completed in one painless visit at KiDDS Dental.

Dental bonding gets its name because that’s exactly what happens during the process―the material used bonds to the tooth. We use composite resin, a combination of a special type of glass and either plastic or resin, to fill in spaces and cracks. Your child may actually have some composite resin in his or her mouth already because it is often used to fill cavities. As an added benefit, composite resin actually adds strength to a tooth without damaging the structure underneath.

If you and your child decide that dental bonding is a good idea, Dr. Jared will choose a shade of composite resin that closely matches your child’s natural teeth. We prepare the tooth for bonding by applying a liquid that roughens its surface. After the solution is applied, we will clean and dry the tooth, then brush on the bonding liquid. The tooth is now ready for the composite resin, which needs to be applied a little bit at a time. A special light is used to harden the resin between applications.

The final step in dental bonding is to shape, smooth and polish the composite resin to make it look as natural as possible. And here’s the best part: The entire process takes only about an hour.

Your child will need to take care of the bonded teeth, because they can easily stain and chip. Although bonding doesn’t last forever, that’s actually what makes it a good choice for children, whose mouths are constantly changing and growing. Talk to us to see if your child is a good candidate for this process―it might be a great “bonding” experience.

Give us a call at 509-891-7070 to schedule today!