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Cosmetic dentistry · By hand
Composite bonding is tooth-coloured resin applied to a tooth and sculpted by hand to repair a chip, close a gap, lengthen a worn edge or improve the shape. At Sardinia House in Holborn it is usually completed in a single visit, with little or no drilling and often no anaesthetic. Guide fee from £495 per tooth. We plan it from a scan and photographs first.
Guide fee
From £495 per tooth
Visits
One
Anaesthetic
Usually none
With
All our dentists
Who it is for
A knock or a hard crust takes a corner off a front tooth and the eye goes straight to it. Bonding rebuilds the missing piece in a matching shade, and the tooth around it is left alone.
A small space can be closed, or narrowed, by adding to the teeth either side. The design decides how the extra width is shared, so both teeth stay in proportion to the rest of the smile.
Teeth shortened by grinding or acid lose their natural outline. Bonding restores the length and the gentle curve of the edge, and after Invisalign® it is often the finishing touch that evens the line.
Peg-shaped or narrow teeth, pointed canines or one tooth that does not match its pair can be reshaped with resin alone. Because almost nothing is removed, your own tooth stays whole beneath it.
The difference
Composite is built up in layers, each shaped and set before the next, working with magnification so the edges, the surface texture and the way light passes through the tooth look like enamel rather than filling.
Your iTero™ scan and photographs let us design the new shape on screen first. When several teeth are involved, we design the smile digitally and fit a trial version first, so you can judge the proportions before any composite is placed.
We use modern composites in a range of shades and translucencies, layered to match the tooth beside the repair. The right choice at the start is what keeps bonding looking natural as the years pass.
Bonding is provided by all our cosmetic dentists, who review one another's cases in our peer-review sessions. Larger and more complex cases are planned together, often with Dr Amit Patel or Dr Adam White, so the approach is consistent from the first tooth to the last.
The process
We check the tooth is healthy, look at your bite and discuss what you would like to change. A scan and photographs are taken, and the proposed shape is agreed with you before we begin.
The tooth is cleaned and the enamel gently conditioned so the resin bonds securely. In most cases no drilling is needed and no anaesthetic, though we can numb the tooth if you would prefer.
Composite is applied in thin layers, shaped by hand and set with a curing light. We check shape, length and symmetry against the plan as we go, with you able to see progress in a mirror.
The surface is contoured and polished to a natural lustre and the bite is checked carefully. You leave the same visit with the finished tooth and photographs to compare with the plan.
Afterwards
Composite can be used from the moment you leave. Brush and floss as normal and keep your hygiene appointments, where the surface can be re-polished. Avoid biting nails, pens or ice with bonded edges, and go easy on the strongest staining drinks for the first day or two. If you grind at night, a guard protects the work.
Guide fees
Guide fees. Nothing is started until your plan, with every fee written down, is in your hands. See all fees
Good to know
At Sardinia House bonding is from £495 per tooth, whether that is a repaired corner or a full composite veneer. Your written plan sets out the exact fee for each tooth before we start.
Rarely. Most bonding needs neither drilling nor an injection. You may feel the surface being cleaned and the light being used. Teeth are rarely sensitive afterwards.
Several years is typical with good care, and the resin can be repaired or refreshed in a single visit rather than replaced. How long it lasts depends on how you bite, what you do with your teeth, and how much of the tooth the composite covers.
Composite can pick up colour from tea, coffee and red wine more readily than enamel, which is why we polish it at hygiene visits. Keeping the surface smooth and brushing well keeps it looking fresh.
Bonding suits smaller changes and keeps the tooth intact. Porcelain veneers suit larger changes in colour and shape and keep their polish for longer. We show you both on the design and explain which we would choose for your teeth.
Yes. Because little or no enamel is taken away, composite can be removed or reshaped later without harming the tooth beneath. That is one of its advantages over porcelain.
If you plan to whiten, do it first. Composite does not lighten, so we match the resin to your teeth once they are the shade you want to keep.
No. Whitening gel lightens enamel but does not change the colour of composite, so bonding stays the shade it was made. That is why we whiten first and bond afterwards, matching the resin to your lighter teeth. If you whiten later, existing bonding may need re-polishing or replacing to keep the match.
Composite is softer than porcelain, so it can chip on hard foods or with grinding, and it picks up stain more readily than enamel. It usually lasts several years rather than decades, and it needs polishing at hygiene visits. In return it is quick, usually reversible and easy to repair in a single visit.
Questions first?
Not ready to book a consultation yet? Tell us what you would like to know, whether that is how long it takes, what it costs or whether it would suit you, and one of our treatment coordinators will reply. We aim to answer within one working day.
Please keep medical details for your visit, where we can talk them through properly. How we look after your information is explained in our privacy notice.
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