If you look in the mirror and feel uncomfortable or self-conscious about the gaps in your smile, you can address the problem with dental bonding. This is a process that requires your dentist to place a resin in your mouth to build a connection between the two teeth in which the gap exists. Once the resin is attached and processed, the gap is eliminated and you see nothing but a perfect smile.

For anyone contemplating dental bonding as a means to get rid of any gaps or spaces between the teeth, this is how the process works:

COMPOSITE RESIN

The first thing to know about dental bonding is that it uses a special type of material that is added to your teeth to give the appearance that they are slightly wider than normal in order to close the gap that currently exists. While that may sound like it will give you two cartoonishly wide teeth, the opposite is true.

Your dentist will assess whether or not the gap in your teeth can be fixed with dental bonding to avoid making the teeth look too wide. If you are a candidate, the dentist will then begin by selecting the correct shade to seamlessly blend with your teeth.

PREPARATION

After the proper shade has been chosen, the dentist will prepare the front of your teeth in which the gap is located by etching the surface of each tooth and then applying a special conditioning liquid which will allow the resin to bond to the teeth much easier and quicker.

ATTACHING THE RESIN

When your teeth are fully prepared, the composite resin is attached to the teeth. The dentist will then mold, sculpt, and detail the attachment so that it has the appearance of natural teeth. Once the dentist is satisfied that the resin attachment looks natural, he or she will then apply ultraviolet light to the resin to ensure the bond hardens and the material has the same strength and resilience as your teeth.

FINISHING

Now that the composite resin has hardened, the dentist will then polish and finish the attachment to give it a gleaming exterior to match the teeth next to it and prevent your inner lip from getting irritated from rubbing against the material. When the job is finished, your smile will not only look terrific but perfectly normal and natural as if the gap was never there in the first place.