Composite Bonding - Birmingham dentist

Your Birmingham dentist will first numb the tooth concerned by injecting a local anaesthetic into the gum area around the tooth. The tooth surface is then thoroughly cleaned to remove any accumulation of tartar and debris as the composite needs a clean surface to bond to. Once the correct shade of composite is selected by your Birmingham dentist the tooth is kept dry by surrounding it with cotton rolls or a latex sheet and then shaped by the dentist using a drill.

The surface of the tooth that will receive the bonding is etched with a phosphoric acid based conditioner, which provides a better surface for the composite to adhere to.  The composite (bonding agent) is then applied to the etched tooth surface and exposed to a special light source, which causes the composite to harden and set. The bonding agent is applied to the tooth in thin layers (1-2 mm) until the desired aesthetic result is achieved. The final step involves polishing and buffing of the composite to give the final desired shape and smooth finish. The main drawbacks of bonding are that it doesn’t have the strength of other restorative materials such as ceramic or porcelain and it has a greater tendency to stain than the surrounding teeth. Composite fillings typically last 5-10 years.

Click here for a list of dentists in Birmingham that offer bonding.