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Cosmetic Bonding and Tooth-Colored Fillings

cosmetic dentistryIn our last post, we encouraged our Bethesda-area patients to see us for cosmetic and/or restorative help at the beginning of this year. Today we’d like to highlight two similar services that are helping patients like you enjoy improved health, wellbeing, and self-confidence—they are cosmetic bonding and tooth-colored fillings. Both services are able to achieve the great results they can thanks to a material known as composite resin.

Composite resin is made from a combination of plastic and glass and can easily be shaped and shaded to match the appearance of teeth.

In the case of cosmetic bonding, a small amount of composite resin is applied to a tooth to hide an embarrassing stain or to improve the look of a cracked, chipped, misaligned, or oddly-spaced tooth. In the case of tooth-colored fillings, the same material is used to prevent further decay and restore the appearance and vitality of one or more weakened teeth. In both cases, patients can expect results that blend in with the overall appearance of their smile, instead of standing out the way an older service like amalgam fillings does.

Amalgam fillings are made of a combination of metals, including a small amount of mercury. They’re durable, but they can also expand or contract with changes in temperature, potentially allowing for bacterial reinvasion. Amalgam fillings also aren’t as supportive of the tooth’s natural structure as those made with composite resin are.

Do you have a tooth you want to restore with cosmetic bonding or a filling you need to treat with a tooth-colored filling? Call Bethesda Sedation Dentistry for an appointment with Dr. Klotz or Dr. Schlossberg. Our team is happy to serve patients from Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Rockville, Potomac, Annapolis, Crofton, Baltimore, Crownsville, and Washington D.C.