Is It Painful When Getting Dental Bonding?
Dental bonding, a standard cosmetic dental procedure to enhance the appearance of minor defects on your teeth like chips, cracks, discoloration, and gaps, is increasingly popular among people as a conservative method of making smile improvements quickly and efficiently from their dentist. The dentist completes the dental bonding procedure required in their office, eliminating the need for multiple appointments and spending time at the dentist’s office.
The composite resin used during the bonding treatment is the same as the filling materials used for tooth-colored fillings. The process is an excellent alternative for anyone who doesn’t want expensive dental repairs like veneers or crowns to hide dental imperfections and looks for a conservative technique to repair their teeth.
What Is Involved in the Dental Bonding Process?
The dental bonding process is relatively simple and completed by your dentist in a few steps.
The dentist starts by using a shade chart to identify the precise composite resin color matching your natural teeth. Next, the tooth targeted for bonding is roughed up with an etching solution to help the composite resin adhere to the tooth. Finally, the dentist applies the composite resin over your teeth and begins molding and shaping them to match the natural shape of your teeth. Ultraviolet light helps the dentist harden the resin. The composite resin is further molded and polished if required to ensure the tooth matches the appearance of your remaining teeth.
Dental bonding requires 30 to 60 minutes per tooth with no downtime involved. You can start your journey back home or work immediately after dental bonding treatments.
Is It Painful When Getting Dental Bonding?
The dental bonding procedure is superficial because the dentist applies the composite resin material to the tooth’s surface needing the bonding. Any pain associated with dental bonding depends on the tooth’s location and condition requiring the bonding.
If you want to repair a cavity in your mouth, repairing tooth decay will undoubtedly cause some discomfort. The dentist must drill out the hole and remove any bacteria and debris before cleaning and disinfecting the space to fill with the composite resin material.
You will feel some pain when the dentist gives you the anesthesia shots that soon subsides into numbness. Besides the above, the dental bonding procedure merely requires you to sit with your mouth open on the dentist’s chair, causing discomfort after the procedure. You may experience some pain if you need dental bonding to a tooth area near the gums where tissue and vulnerable nerves are present. Here again, your dentist recommends applying a topical anesthetic to ensure you experience no discomfort during the bonding procedure.
However, for the better part, most people undergoing dental bonding find the discomfort associated with the procedure is non-existent or minimal. Therefore you can consider the dental bonding procedure relatively painless unless you want to have cavities repaired with the treatment to enhance the appearance of your teeth.
The Recovery Process after Dental Bonding
If you merely bonded your teeth to improve their aesthetic appearance without needing any cavity fillings, you can consider the recovery process non-existent. You can begin smiling and showing off your newly bonded teeth to everyone around you even before you leave the dentist’s office.
However, if you received anesthesia for filling cavities, your mouth will likely remain numb for a few hours without causing any pain. Therefore, you must exercise caution when eating scorching or freezing foods and beverages as you recover from the numbness. If you detect extreme pain or discomfort, contact the dentist for help because they may recommend painkillers to overcome the discomfort.
For 48 hours after getting your teeth bonded, you must refrain from smoking and having staining beverages like coffee and red wine, especially if you had your teeth bonded for discoloration. Besides the insignificant precautions, you can continue your everyday activities with your bonded teeth and enjoy all the foods and beverages you want.
The bonding treatment lasts on your teeth for five to seven years but is prone to chipping and cracking if you bite on complex objects like pencils, pens, fingernails, et cetera. You must refrain from chewing on ice or having crunchy foods that may chip the bonding material. If you want to prolong the life of the bonding, you must maintain excellent dental hygiene and visit your dentist for six-monthly exams and cleanings. However, rest assured that the process is entirely painless unless you have cavities on your teeth that need repair before getting your teeth bonded.