Mending Mouths: Is Dental Bonding Permanent?

Do you have a chipped or cracked tooth, or stained enamel that doesn’t respond to topical treatments? If so, you might be a good candidate for dental bonding. This procedure can mend minor issues to safeguard your smile and improve your appearance to boost your confidence, based on your unique situation.

However, many patients have questions about what to expect from the results. For instance, many people want to know whether dental bonding is permanent. Continue reading to learn more about how long you can expect your recent upgrade to last!

What is Dental Bonding?

This non-invasive service can often be completed from start to finish in a single, hour-long appointment and is so straightforward that you might not even require numbing. For this treatment, your dentist applies a putty-like composite resin directly to your tooth to restore damaged, decayed, discolored, or worn-down enamel. Then, they carve it into the perfect shape and harden it in place with a special ultra-violet curing light.

Because the material can be customized to match your natural hue, the result is a seamless repair that looks and feels like your real teeth.

Is Dental Bonding Permanent?

It’s always a good idea to be well-informed about any procedure that can potentially alter your smile in the long run, like dental bonding. Once it adheres to your enamel, it can last anywhere from 5 to 15 or more years, but it depends significantly on your unique circumstances.

Although it’s quite resilient, it’s not invincible. Over time, the hardened resin can become tinted, damaged, or thinned from everyday use and may need to be redone. Because of this, it’s considered more of a long-term solution than a permanent one.

How Can I Maintain My Dental Bonding?

Thankfully, there are several proactive ways you can keep your mended teeth in excellent condition, including:

• Implementing a routine. You should continue brushing and flossing twice daily to remove plaque, bacteria, and other debris that contribute to common oral issues, like cavities and gum disease, which can impact the results.
• Watching what you eat. Try to avoid overly hard, crunchy, and sticky foods like ice, candy, or taffy that can damage, destabilize, or dislodge your dental bonding.
• Don’t treat teeth as tools. You could further injure your teeth using them to open mail, boxes, or plastic packages instead of taking a few moments to find the right tool for the job, like scissors or a letter opener.
• Quit smoking. Cigarettes, vapes, and tobacco products contain tar and nicotine that are infamous for causing issues like cavities, periodontal problems, and even oral cancer, which can interfere with the results of your recent treatment.
• Schedule regular visits. Visiting your dentist every six months for a routine checkup and cleaning allows them to spot and address any areas of concern, like damaged bonding, before it progresses.

Consulting your dentist is the best way to determine whether this service is right for you!

Meet the Author

Dr. Eric Barajas has more than 30 years of experience helping people of all ages build and maintain happy, healthy smiles. He earned his dental degree from the UCLA School of Dentistry, and has since completed continuing education credits on a number of topics, including implants, sleep apnea, TMJ therapy, and cosmetics. Plus, he’s a member of the American Dental Association and several other organizations, so you can trust your smile is in good hands. His welcoming office is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to provide accurate results while enhancing patient comfort. If you need dental bonding, you can request an appointment on the website or call (619) 482-7367.