Bonding and Contouring

What is bonding and contouring?

Bonding and contouring are minimally invasive procedures that dentists often perform together in order to help brighten your smile. Bonding adds more structure to teeth to fill spaces and chips, while contouring reshapes existing tooth enamel, softening the edges of sharp or jagged teeth.

If your front teeth are oddly spaced, chipped, or misshapen, cosmetic bonding or contouring can reshape them for a beautiful smile.

What to expect at your appointment 

  • To repair chipped, cracked, or broken teeth
  • To close a gap between two teeth
  • To restore worn or decayed teeth

Often, our dentists perform bonding and contouring together for optimal outcome. If the dentist is contouring a tooth, she will use a special tool to reshape the tooth’s edge. For bonding, a composite material is tinted to match your natural tooth coloring.

The dentist will apply the composite to your tooth, sculpting the material to create an aesthetically-pleasing restoration.

Bonding won’t last forever, but patients generally enjoy these restorations for a long period of time. Many patients choose bonding as a precursor to porcelain veneers.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about bonding and contouring or to schedule a smile consultation with one of our dentists.