Congratulations, you’ve just restored your smile with the help of dental bonding!
Dental bonding is a beautiful, durable, and natural-looking treatment that restores chipped, broken, or worn teeth with the use of the same composite resin material your dentist uses to create tooth-colored fillings. Composite resin is made of several materials, including glass, plastic, and other organic and inorganic materials. It creates a long-lasting prosthetic that is not only attractive, but functional as well. In fact, with proper care, it can last up to ten years before it needs replacement. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your bonding restorations and your beautiful smile!
Avoid Staining Foods
While composite resin is tooth-colored and stain resistant, it is not stain proof. This means it is still possible for it to absorb some stains, and when it does, it can be very difficult to remove them. Thus, be sure to avoid too many staining foods, including:
- Coffee
- Red wine
- Berries
- Cola
While it is still safe to consume these, if you do enjoy them, be sure to brush your teeth well and floss afterwards.
Watch What You Chew
Your natural teeth were designed to chew food, but despite its durability dental bonding is not as strong as a real tooth is. Thus, to keep your bonding safe from falling out or chipping, you must be careful with what you use it for. Here are a few foods that could cause damage:
- Nuts/seeds
- Jerky
- Crusty breads
- Chips or pretzels
- Bones
- Ice cubes
While these foods aren’t totally off the table, if you do choose to consume them, be sure to avoid chewing or biting into them with your bonded tooth. If you have bonding on a front tooth, you may want to consider cutting up fruits and veggies like apples, pears, and corn on the cob instead of biting into them.
Keep it Routine
While the bonded portion of your tooth cannot get cavities, you can still get them elsewhere on the tooth and in the rest of your mouth. Thus, it is important to maintain your usual oral health routine. Brush twice a day, floss at least once a day, and visit your dentist twice a year for your regular, semi-annual cleanings and exams.
Remember, cosmetic dental bonding is a lovely, natural looking way to restore damaged teeth, but to make the most of your treatment, you still need to properly maintain it.
About Our Practice
At Indianapolis Family Dentistry, we work with our patients to provide them only the care they need. We will never recommend anything that isn’t necessary, and we’ll never proceed with a treatment you’re not 100 percent on board with. We are proud to provide a variety of oral health options for your entire family, whether they need an exam and cleaning, a restoration, or a cosmetic procedure like dental bonding.
To schedule an appointment for bonding, please visit our website or call us today at 317-898-3384.