No matter how well your care for your pearly whites, chips, and cracks happen. Tooth chipping is not uncommon, and most people have to deal with them at one point or another. Tooth chipping may not seem serious, but the chip might develop into a fracture if you don’t get treatment. Fractures are much worse since they expose the inner parts of the tooth and can lead to infections or tooth breakage.
Thank heavens there are a plethora of options that can deal with chips and cracks, such as dental crowns and dental bonding in Shavertown, PA. Fixing such issues isn’t a big deal since the options are readily available.
Easy as it may be to fix chips and cracks, most patients will face a dilemma when choosing the procedure that will be appropriate for their scenario. There are lots of questions that you might ask yourself before you settle on a procedure. So, let’s compare dental bonding with crowns and see which one is better.
Dental Bonding
Composite bonding teeth is a process where composite resin is applied to flawed teeth to alter their appearance and restore their function.
Composite resin is a wonderful material since our dentist can shape, trim, and polish it to ensure that your teeth are aesthetically pleasing and structurally sound. That’s why it is used to restore decayed teeth, enhance the teeth color of severely stained teeth, and reshape teeth if they are misaligned or crooked.
Bonding works by hiding the flaws by spreading a coat of resin over the teeth. Composite resin chemically bonds to your teeth, forming a sturdy substance that can restore your tooth’s appearance and function for several years.
For example, if you have a chipped tooth, our dentist will apply composite resin to fill the chipped part and then allow it to cure. Once it cures, our dentist will trim the edges, shape it and then polish it to give it a sheen that matches the rest of your teeth.
Some of the bonding techniques that you come across are:
- Direct composite bonding
- Adhesive bonding
When Is Dental Bonding Used?
Our dentist will recommend dental bonding if you wish to:
- Repair chips
- Close down gaps
- Change the shape of your teeth
- Improve the color of your teeth
- Elongate your teeth
- Cover roots when there is gum recession
Tooth Crowns
On the other hand, crowns are used when the damage to the tooth is severe. If there is a huge chunk of the tooth that’s damaged or missing, tooth crowns are probably the best solution. Unlike bonding, tooth crowns are designed to cap or cover an entire tooth to restore functionality and enhance its appearance. Crowns are also created using tooth-colored materials.
If a tooth needs a crown, our dentist will remove the damaged part and shape the tooth by carving out some of the enamel to create space for the crown. Then, our dentist will use special bonding material to secure the tooth crown on the prepped tooth.
A crown strengthens a damaged tooth. The problem is that the procedure will not be reversed. The reason is that once your enamel is removed, it cannot grow back.
When Are Tooth Crowns Used?
Our dentist might recommend a crown if:
- Your tooth’s chewing surface is worn out because of bruxism
- You need to cover a tooth after a root canal
- You desire to enhance the color of severely discolored teeth
- You need to strengthen a tooth that cannot be supported using a filling, inlay or onlay
- You wish to cover an implant
- You want to attach a bridge
- You desire to repair severely chipped or cracked teeth
Dental Bonding vs. Crowns
Some factors set the two dental procedures apart. The first thing is the amount of tooth mass lost. Dental bonding is used to fix minor problems such as chips, gaps, and cracks, which don’t involve the removal of the enamel. On the other hand, some of the enamel must be removed before getting crowns.
Dental bonding is much less invasive than tooth crowns, and the bonding procedure takes a much shorter time.
It is worth noting that crowns are used when the damage is severe, whereas tooth bonding fixes minor issues. Crowns are the best option for strengthening the teeth.
Both solutions are effective in their right. But to pick the correct option, you might have to visit our dentist, who will conduct the necessary examinations to help you choose the best option. Therefore, contact us at Back Mountain Dental to schedule an appointment with our dentist.
