Tooth Bonding Risks for Chipped Teeth

Last Friday I was having lunch at my desk and bit into a sourdough roll. Right away I heard that sickening little crunch between my front teeth. Reached up with my tongue: sure enough, half the composite resin on my chipped tooth repair had broken away.

I totally panicked for a second thinking the whole tooth broke off. Walked straight into the bathroom, pulled out my phone, and turned on the flashlight to get a closer look in the mirror. It looked terrifying up close, but looking carefully at the fracture line, it was just the old bonding filling from four years ago that popped off. The natural tooth underneath looked completely untouched.

People always ask what the actual risks are when bonding a chipped tooth. The main risk is simply that composite resin can chip again if you bite down hard on crusty bread or ice cubes. Bonding does not hurt your real tooth underneath, but resin can slowly pick up tea or coffee stains along the border after several years.

I called my dental clinic and went in on Monday afternoon expecting a painful, expensive procedure, but it was an absolute non-event:

• No shots, no needles. He didn’t even pick up a syringe.
• He used a tiny sanding disc to smooth down the rough jagged edges so fresh resin could stick.
• Put a drop of blue acid gel on it for about 15 seconds, rinsed it, put on bonding glue, and layered on new composite.
• Cured it with the blue wand, checked my bite twice with carbon paper, and polished it up.

The whole appointment took barely 15 minutes and cost about normal co-pay. I walked out of the clinic with a completely smooth tooth and ate dinner normally that same evening with zero discomfort.

Visit our page on composite bonding London to explore treatment options, costs, and expert advice.

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