A man walked into Envy Smile Dental convinced he was going to get stuck with an ugly dark metal filling. I had spotted a tiny shadow of decay between two of his upper teeth during his routine checkup, and he dreaded looking like he had a mouthful of silver.
He asked me: can you just bond a small cavity instead of doing an old-fashioned filling?
I laughed and told him: mate, bonding is what we use for cavities every single day now. We haven’t put dark silver amalgam in someone’s front smile in ages.
Here is why bonding works so brilliantly for small cavities. Old silver fillings did not stick to teeth at all. The dentist had to carve out a massive box shape with a drill just to wedge the metal in place, sacrificing heaps of sound tooth. With composite bonding, resin actually glues straight to your natural enamel and dentine.
I numbed his gum, washed out the tiny dark spot, and painted on bonding glue. Then I patted tooth-coloured paste into the dip, clicked our blue curing gun to harden it, and buffed it smooth.
He grabbed the hand mirror and couldn’t even spot where the repair was.
We tapped his teeth together with blue carbon foil to check his bite, and he walked back out to his car in half an hour flat.
Visit our page on composite bonding London to explore treatment options, costs, and expert advice.
The insights shared in our articles are meant to educate and inform, not to replace a face-to-face consultation. Every smile is unique, and a proper diagnosis can only be made by a qualified clinical professional. Please book an appointment with our team or consult your local dentist for advice tailored to your specific oral health needs.
