When planning cosmetic dental treatment plans, our patients often ask, “How long does tooth bonding last?” and in this blog post, we’ll answer this question.
Tooth bondings or white fillings are an esthetic solution we use in front teeth to fix cavities or change the appearance of your teeth. How long these restorations last is based on several factors that we will review below.
How many times has the tooth been treated?
Our current bonding technology gets better and stronger every day, but due to how the bonding materials work, every time we place tooth bonding, it’s never as strong as the first time we placed a restoration.
How large is the bonding?
As you might imagine, the larger a bonding is, the higher chance that the bonding has to break. A small white filling on the front of your tooth is much less likely to break and will last much longer than a bonding that is on the edge of a tooth and is subjected to chewing forces every time you eat.
How is your home care?
A patient’s oral hygiene has a lot to do with how long a bonding can last. For example, we will sometimes place esthetic white fillings at the gum line in order to treat painful recession or to fill in yellow-looking gaps. Because these fillings are so close to the gum line, they face the constant buildup of debris every time you eat, and thus they need to be kept very clean. Thus, these restorations will last much longer in patients who have better oral hygiene.
How is your bite?
Some patients have stronger bites than others, and bite strength is an important factor in how long front tooth filings can last. If a patient has a very heavy bite and relies heavily on their front teeth for chewing, the extra wear and tear will take a toll on bondings. In cases such as these, we’ll often use esthetic crowns instead of bondings as these ceramics are stronger and can absorb more of the force from chewing.
Dental Implants with Bone Loss