Should I Get Composite Veneers or Composite Edge Bonding?

In our Burlington dental practice, we see a lot of patients that have cosmetic concerns about their teeth and seek my advice on getting composite bonding or composite veneers. Thy are usually 2 terms that are used interchangeably to mean the same thing, except, they are not!

Let’s start by talking about why we need composite bonding or veneers? Those treatments are used when we want to achieve straight teeth, brighten discolored teeth, change the shape of teeth that are too small or too large or even just to get a smile makeover all together!

The beauty of these treatments is that they are very conservative. They require minimal to almost no tooth structure removal at all. So much so, that our Burlington dentist sometimes does them without anesthesia (freezing)!

So, what is the difference between composite veneers and edge bonding?

Composite veneers are thin shells of composite (white filling Material), that our dentist in Burlington places over the entire surface of the tooth. It covers the whole surface to mask discoloration or change the shape or even camouflage the position of the tooth. They are very thin that they go unnoticeable. We can also decide the color we desire to use.

Composite edge bonding on the other hand, only covers parts of the tooth and not all. Here at Blossom Smiles Dental, we use edge bonding when only minor changes and adjustments need to be made to the tooth. For example, a chipped edge or a tooth that seems shorter than the rest? Our dentist in Burlington bonds the edges to restore the harmony of teeth in terms of shade, size, and shape. With this treatment, the color of the tooth is not changed, but rather the bonded part is matched with the rest of the teeth. As with composite veneers, rarely any tooth freezing is done for the procedure by our dentists here in Burlington.

The hallmark for the success of all these procedures is healthy gums. That is why no matter how simple the procedure is, our dentist always recommends a session with our hygienist beforehand.

For the perfect esthetic look though, more prep work goes into that which  involves taking photographs and models to mockup a new smile that is pleasing to our patients. We’ll discuss more details on our comprehensive approach in our next blogs! Stay tuned!!