How to Maintain the Appearance of Dental Bonding

Dental bonding is one of the quickest and least intensive forms of cosmetic dentistry. It essentially involves a dentist applying a thin layer of tooth-coloured dental resin to the surfaces of your teeth. This not only whitens them – which is where the chosen shade of resin plays a role – but also conceals a multitude of surface imperfections. Your smile is transformed, often in a single (surprisingly brief) visit. Of course, there will be some effort required on your part to maintain the transformative effects of your dental bonding.

Cleaning Your Teeth

You essentially clean teeth that have received dental bonding as you would clean any other teeth. That being said, it's possible to overdo it. A hard dental brush may not be appropriate for dental bonding. The rigidity of the bristles, especially when combined with extra vigorous brushing, can scratch your restorations. This will barely be noticeable at first, however multiple scratches on the dental resin can become quite conspicuous. Additionally, these scratches can encourage the accumulation of harmful oral bacteria, which can jeopardize the tooth structure beneath the bonding material, along with the other teeth in your mouth. Ask your dentist if you need to amend your brushing habits after you've received bonding. 

Smoking

If you're a smoker, now is the time to consider quitting. Smoking and dental bonding don't mix, as the dental resin applied to your teeth can easily discolour when exposed to the tar that's inhaled when you smoke. This leaves residue on your bonded teeth, which can stain them. Cleaning your teeth immediately after smoking will help to somewhat offset this effect, but it won't eliminate it. If it's not quite so easy for you to give up smoking, consider transitioning to e-cigarettes, which don't create smoke. They're far less likely to discolour dental bonding than traditional cigarettes.

Eating and Drinking

It's not only smoking that can discolour dental bonding, and you need to be aware that the dental resin coating your teeth is fairly porous. This means it's going to be reactive to what you eat and drink, with certain things being especially problematic (tea, coffee, red wine). Get into the habit of rinsing your mouth after you consume anything that has the potential to stain your dental bonding, as it will prolong the appearance of your restoration work. 

Dental bonding offers rapid results, but you may need to make some changes to make sure that the appearance of your bonding doesn't rapidly decline.

For more information about dental bonding or other cosmetic dentistry procedures, contact a cosmetic dentist in your area.