Cosmetic Teeth Straightening And Composite Bonding

Our cosmetic teeth traightening and composite bonding case of the month is really simple yet effective cosmetic dental treatment. In many cases, our patients would simply like to straighten the front teeth only which is quite understandable. If the front 4 teeth or incisor teeth or crooked, overlapping or gappy, then we have techniques which can help to solve the problems. One of those is the Social 6 lingual brace which is especially designed for the incisor teeth only.

The Social 6 lingual brace is a great way to correct front teeth in a short space of time. In most cases, treatment can be completed within 3-4 months which simply flies by. The brace is fitted to the inside of the teeth hence it is the only invisible brace on the market despite what others may say! However, there are limitations to the level of straightening that can be accomplished simply due to the fact that space is often very limited, the short span of the wire limits movements and the bite can restrict what is possible. In most cases, we say that if you would be happy with a 80% correction of the crowding, then we should be able to help. In our case, the level of teeth misalignment was quite small hence a fantastic result was achieved complimented by another of our favourite cosmetic dentistry procedures; composite bonding.

Composite bonding is now an incredibly popular treatment and one that we have been advocating for over 13 years! The premise is simple. Composite is layered over the teeth in a way to hide asymmetry, uneven edges, slight rotations, small gaps, chips and fractures. The beauty of this technique is that the underlying tooth does not need to be cut down at all so it is a minimally invasive procedure. This differs to porcelain veneers in that for this procedure, we do need to prepare the teeth so that the ceramic veneer can sit on the tooth without leaving a ledge or a positive margin. In turn this could lead to gum inflammation and secondary decay.

Our composite bonding material of choice is Empress Direct by Ivoclar. A lovely material to use which polishes well. This also brings up another point regarding bonding. Any bonding will need maintenance over time. The material is a plastic and will wear, take up some colour, chip, stain and lose shine with general wear and tear. Although maintenance is easy, this is important to remember when making the decision between composite and porcelain.

Our case below is a really classic one involving the quick re alignment of front teeth and then bonding to improve the symmetry.

If you have been thinking of investing in a new smile and would like to start your journey, please arrange a free video call with Dr Nissit Patel. Treatment could be faster and more affordable than every before!