Which is Better: Dental Bonding or Filling?
Finding the right procedures and appliances for your dental treatments is crucial for a successful treatment. When you visit us at Monarch Dentistry, our dental team indulges in a comprehensive dental exam to evaluate your oral health before determining the suitable treatment. The initial factor in finding the best treatment is identifying whether you need cosmetic or restorative dentistry.
What Is the Difference Between Restorative and Cosmetic Dentistry?
While both are crucial specialties in dentistry, they serve different roles. Restorative dentistry focuses on treatment protocols that can repair and rebuild teeth to optimize or regain functionality. Meanwhile, cosmetic dentistry focuses on procedures that can elevate a smile’s appearance, usually by improving teeth’ color, shape, size, and alignment. A great example of dental solutions for restorative and cosmetic dentistry respectively is dental fillings and bonding.
What Are Dental Bonding and Fillings?
Dental bonding in Mississauga is considered a cosmetic procedure for improving teeth’ appearance. Dental bonding comprises a tooth-colored resin called composite that closely matches natural teeth. Many cosmetic dentists in Streetsville dental clinics employ composite bonding as one of the most popular and go-to cosmetic treatments.
Dental fillings, on the other hand, are oral materials in restorative dentistry that repair and rebuild damaged teeth. Dental fillings typically reinstate the damaged portion of a tooth with a different material. They come in different materials, ranging from gold and silver to composite and porcelain.
How Are Dental Fillings and Bonding Similar?
The similarity between dental fillings and bonding applies when the material used is similar. When you choose composite fillings to repair your diseased tooth, it is similar to cosmetic bonding treatment. The application is also relatively the same since the dentist applies the composite resin over teeth and then hardens it with lasers. Besides, both dental fillings and bonding can improve teeth functionality and appearance.
What Are the Differences Between the Two?
The primary difference between dental fillings and bonding is their core function in dentistry. Dental fillings are ideally restorative solutions, while composite bonding is a cosmetic solution. As such, composite bonding for cosmetic dentistry is tooth-colored. However, dental fillings can feature other materials that are not necessarily tooth-colored, including silver and gold, as long as they can restore teeth.
Still, even when the same material is employed, the application or composite fillings vs. bonding is different regarding preparation. When the dentist treats a tooth with a composite filling, (s)he first prepares the tooth by removing the damaged portion. The dentist will drill out as much tooth enamel as necessary to get rid of the cavity, decay, or damage. Contrary, cosmetic dentists do not prepare tooth enamel intensely before applying composite bonding. Instead, they use conditioning liquids to roughen the surface, promoting better adhesion. It entails a non-invasive procedure compared to dental fillings.
Is One Better Than The Other?
Although dental fillings and composite bonding can sometimes be compared to each other, they are different. In this way, it is unfair to consider one better than the other. Instead, it depends on the underlying needs of the patient. Composite fillings are ideal for patients who need to restore weak and damaged teeth to prevent tooth loss. They work well if you need to repair your tooth without compromising aesthetics.
Cosmetic bonding treatment is an incredible solution for patients that desire smile modifications. Dental bonding is a quick fix for correcting most dental imperfections with minimal invasion.
You should not have a hard time choosing between dental bonding and fillings. It is your dentist’s responsibility to realize a treatment plan ideal for your oral situation. Therefore, do not feel pressured to determine which oral appliance is better. If anything, your primary concern should be to optimize your oral functionality without compromising your smile’s appearance.
Conclusion
Both dental bonding and fillings are reputable solutions in dentistry for improving oral health. Depending on your preferences and needs, you can choose a treatment that best works for you. Liaise closely with your dentist to get the most out of any dental treatment.