Composite bonding from our dentist

Composite bonding opened up a new area of dentistry, by reconstructing teeth in a way that simply was not possible before the development of light cured UV resins. Let us find out more about how they could help you at our dentist in Birmingham.

UV cured resins in dentistry

UV cured resins have been an elegant solution to a problem that dentistry has had since day one; what kind of adhesive can be used to repair teeth or hold or prostatic in place? There’ve been many attempts to solve this problem; temperature based adhesives would have to be applied hot enough to medt, but would have the added disadvantage of not being able to warp when the patient drinks a hot beverage, making them unsuitable for the clinic. Chemically setting adhesives often use very unpleasant solvents which would also be inappropriate.

UV bonding gives a great deal of control to the rate at which the adhesive sets to our dentist in Birmingham, which made it initially useful as a technique for attaching veneers. By building up in layers fully setting each before reapplying, resin can be constructed into an in situ bonding. This is very similar to the way that gel nails are applied in beauty salons.

The fully cured resin is both hard and resilient yet can be sculpted using a dental drill, allowing natural shapes and ridges to be cut into the bonding. The exact shade and texture of the resin can be altered by changing its composition; this puts many of the functions of the dental laboratory into the hands of our dental team so we only need a single session to produce an in-situ bonding. Depending on how they’re applied, they can behave more like a crown, giving structural support to the tooth, or they can just be placed on the front surface behaving more like a veneer.

Maintaining and looking after an in situ bonding

In-situ bondings are not considered high maintenance; with regular brushing and flossing and the standard 6-month check up, they are not that different from any other two. They will get the same attention from our team as would any sort of crown or prosthesis during the check up just to make sure that it’s still firmly in place and undamaged.

Application of in situ bonding is non-destructive; a very small quantity of enamel has to be touched for the first layer to adhere but apart from that, your natural tooth is unaffected. You should experience little to no pain when it is being fitted and will be able to eat and drink immediately after the procedure

As an emergency procedure?

Due to flexibility, in situ composite bonding could have an interesting role in emergency dentistry; being able to stabilize and build up a damaged tooth without having to delay treatment whilst prosthetics were constructed in a dental laboratory. If you do require emergency dental care, please contact our dentist in Birmingham immediately and we will do our best to see you on the same day. Otherwise, if you have further questions about how in situ bondings might be suitable for you don’t hesitate to ask. We are currently accepting new patients and would be happy to hear from you.