Dental Bonding and Fillings in Harrisburg, NC
The beauty of dentistry is that there are many treatment options for correcting dental problems. You know that if you have a cavity, you get a filling. But you may not be aware that bonding is another common procedure for restoring a tooth. At Piedmont Dentistry in Harrisburg, we offer bonding and filling treatments to repair damage and decay.
What Do You Use Dental Bonding and Fillings For?
If you have a cavity, it means that your tooth is decaying. Without removing that decay, it will continue to destroy your tooth. That’s why it’s crucial for a dentist to drill out the decay and clean the resulting hole.
But the space needs to be filled in. If it is left open, it could trap food and bacteria, weaken the tooth structure and cause sensitivity and pain.
That’s where dental bonding and filling come into play. These treatments plug holes and cracks to make your teeth structurally sound and prevent further damage.
What’s the Difference Between a Bonding and a Filling?
Bondings and fillings are commonly used in general and restorative dentistry. We use both treatments to fill holes and defects in the teeth. However, the materials that we use may differ, and the procedures are used for distinct dental issues.
A filling is inserted into the tooth after the dentist has removed the cavity and prepared the surface. While it used to be common to use silver, or amalgam, fillings, composite resin is more popular now. This tooth-colored material matches the shade of your tooth and is inconspicuous.
While bondings can be used to fill cavities, they are also valuable for cosmetic dentistry. Bondings are often used to close gaps between teeth, fill cracks or cover stains and discoloration. At Piedmont Dentistry in Harrisburg, we usually use composite resin for bondings as well as fillings.
We also use dental bonding in our Harrisburg office to:
- Change the shape of your teeth
- Elongate short teeth
- Protect roots if your gums have receded
- Repair chipped teeth
- Replace amalgam fillings
Do You Need a Harrisburg Dentist for a Bonding or Filling?
At Piedmont Dentistry, we treat basic cavities with basic fillings. We usually use composite resin for natural-looking fillings. But if you have other complaints about your teeth, you might wonder whether you should get bondings or another solution, such as veneers or implants.
The bonding procedure is one of the quickest and easiest cosmetic treatments for your teeth. We don’t have to resurface your tooth as significantly as we do with veneers, and we can customize the shape and color so that the results look natural.
Bonding is an excellent option for filling cavities. It’s also a valuable solution for correcting minor cosmetic issues. However, bonding materials aren’t as strong as the materials that are used for crowns, veneers, bridges or dentures. Therefore, bonding is usually reserved for areas that aren’t exposed to a lot of pressure when chewing.
Something else that our Harrisburg patients need to consider is their dental habits. If a bond breaks off, it can crack the tooth along with it. Bonding materials can last up to 10 years before they must be replaced. Chewing on fingernails, pens, ice or other hard items reduces the life of bondings and fillings.
If you think that you need dental bonding or a filling, contact us. We will provide you with an honest consultation and a straightforward treatment plan. We’ll have you smiling again in no time.