4 Times to Use Bonding Rather Than Tooth Whitening Treatments
Posted on: 27 July 2022
Dental bonding can be a viable alternative to traditional tooth whitening treatments. During a bonding treatment, your dentist covers a tooth with a specialist resin. The colour of this resin changes the shade of its tooth.
When is bonding a good way to whiten your teeth?
1. You Don't Need Full Whitening
A regular whitening treatment typically whitens a set of teeth. This is a good option if you want to lift the shade of all your teeth; however, it might not work as well if you only need to whiten selected teeth.
For example, if only one of your teeth needs to go up a shade, say because it has some discolouration, then a full whitening treatment won't help. The tooth won't necessarily match the rest of your teeth after the treatment; they will change shade as well. Here, a cosmetic bonding treatment could help. Your dentist can cover the tooth that needs to be whitened. They can choose a shade of bonding to exactly match the rest of your teeth.
2. You Have Internal Staining
Internal staining can make teeth look dull, grey and discoloured. You might be keen to use a whitening treatment to make your teeth look more attractive. However, whitening treatments don't necessarily work on internal stains. These treatments work on the front surfaces of teeth. They might change the shade of your teeth; however, the stains inside might still be visible.
In some cases, bonding can improve the cosmetics of a tooth with internal stains. The bonding resin covers the front of the tooth. This might be enough to conceal the stain.
3. You Also Have Tooth Damage
If you have some cosmetic dental damage, such as chips or cracks, then whitening won't deal with these problems. It also won't help with issues such as minor gaps or misalignments. A bonding treatment can whiten your teeth and fix minor cosmetic problems. Your dentist can shape the resin to fill in chips, cracks and gaps. They can use it to make a misaligned tooth look straighter.
4. You Have Sensitive Teeth
Teeth whitening treatments can make your teeth sensitive. The bleaching agents in these treatments can affect the surfaces of your teeth for a while. However, if you already have problems with sensitive teeth, then whitening can make your sensitivity worse. Your dentist might recommend that you don't take this route. Bonding can be a good alternative. It shouldn't trigger any sensitivity problems or make them worse.
For more advice, contact a cosmetic dentistry clinic. One of their dentists can help you choose the best way to whiten your tooth or teeth.
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