A Lasting Bond: How to Ensure Your Composite Bonding Lasts a Decade
Posted on: 27 November 2019
Whether your dental issue is tooth stains or tooth chips, composite bonding can help to restore your smile's former beauty. And, as long as you care for your newly bonded teeth, your composite bonding should last about ten years. However, if you don't care for them, your composite bonding could fail in just a few years.
Unfortunately, if your bonding becomes stained or chipped, you'll have no choice but to redo it or have it replaced with something stronger, such as porcelain veneers or crowns. To ensure that you get the maximum ten years out of your composite bonding, do the following.
Drink Water With Staining Foods and Drinks
Unlike porcelain, which is non-porous, composite bonding will stain if it comes into constant contact with staining molecules. This means that you need to be wary of consuming staining foods and liquids like red pasta sauce and cola without taking measures to control their contact with your teeth. Drink a mouthful of water and rinse after every mouthful or so of staining food or drink.
If you don't do this, the staining molecules will build up in your mouth and eventually penetrate the porous surface of your bonded teeth. You won't be able to remove those stains through hard brushing as this will damage your bonding.
Use Non-Bonded Teeth to Crush or Break Hard Foods
Composite bonding is nowhere near hard enough to break or crush the most solid foods, like peanuts and pork scratchings. Even if you are lucky enough to break these foods several times by chewing carefully, the wear and tear will add up quickly and your bonding will chip. Your natural teeth, however, are stronger than the bonding and thus can chew in the place of your bonded teeth.
Although you might have to adjust your chewing technique if using lateral incisors and canines to break hard foods instead of your bonded central incisors, you will get used to it.
Consider Stopping or Reducing Your Cigarette Intake
If your smoke cigarettes, be aware that cigarette smoke is one of the worst culprits when it comes to tooth staining and bonding staining. Unfortunately, this means that you'll have to either quit smoking or cut down. However, the chances are that you are getting bonding to help change your life for the better, so it might actually be the perfect time to quit.
Are you about to invest in composite bonding for broken or stained teeth? Then keep the above points in mind if you wish to get the most out of your composite bonding. Contact a cosmetic dentistry clinic for more information.
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