Dental Bonding vs. Dental Crowns for Damaged Teeth

It is true that when you care for your teeth, you will protect them from damage and decay. But we all know that life never goes as planned, so dental issues such as tooth chipping, decay, and fractures may plague your smile. These issues are usually considered minor, so some people may fail to get the appropriate treatment.

However, these dental issues usually escalate and lead to tooth infections and, eventually, tooth loss. Thank heavens we have many options, such as dental bonding and dental crowns in Garrettsville, OH, that can help repair damaged teeth and save you unnecessary stress.

Easy as it may seem to fix chips and cracks, most patients will face the dilemma of picking the correct treatment to meet their needs. Let’s unpack these two treatments and see whether you’d find the best solution.

Dental Bonding

Composite dental bonding is when our dentist applies composite resin (plastic) to teeth to restore their function and alter their appearance.

Composite resin is a wonderful material for repairing teeth since it is pliable. Therefore, our dentist has the liberty to shape, trim, and polish to ensure that your teeth are in tip-top condition. That’s why dental bonding can be used to restore decayed teeth, reshape teeth if they are crooked or misaligned, and enhance the color of severely stained teeth.

For instance, if your tooth has chipped, our dentist can apply composite resin to the tooth to fill the chipped part.

Some of the dental bonding techniques that our dentist uses are:

• Direct composite bonding
• Adhesive bonding

The main uses for dental bonding might include the following:

• Repairing chips
• Covering the roots when the gums have receded
• Close gaps down
• Improve the color of stained teeth
• Alter the shape of the tooth
• Elongate the tooth

Dental Crowns

On the other hand, at our dentist’s office near me, we have dental crowns. These tooth restorations are different from dental bonding. They come in handy when a huge chunk of the tooth is damaged or missing.

Therefore, tooth crowns are designed to cap or cover the entire tooth to enhance its functionality and appearance. Dental crowns are also fashioned using tooth-colored materials and metals.

If your tooth requires a crown, our dentist will commence by administering a local anesthetic. Then, the next step will be to carve out or remove the decayed or damaged part of the tooth. After removing the decayed part, our dentist will shape the tooth to create more space for the crown.

Using a special dental cement, our dentist will secure the tooth crown over the prepped tooth. The oral cement will be exposed to curing light to ensure it hardens. However, it would help if you remembered that the procedure would not be reversed since enamel can never grow back.

When Are Dental Crowns Used?

A tooth crown is your best option under the following circumstances:

• Your wish to cap an implant
• Your tooth’s surface is worn out
• You need to attach a dental bridge
• Your tooth needs strengthening and cannot be supported using a dental filling or onlay or inlay
• You need to cover a tooth after a root canal
• You have severely chipped, decayed, or cracked teeth that need restoration

Dental Bonding vs. Tooth Crowns

Some factors tend to set the two dental restorations apart. The first thing that separates them is the amount of tooth mass your tooth will lose. Dental bonding is used to fix some minor problems, such as gaps, chips, and cracks, which don’t involve the removal of the tooth enamel. On the other hand, some of the enamel needs to be removed before getting crowns.

Dental bonding is much less invasive than dental crowns near you since it involves removing part of the enamel. On the other hand, dental bonding involves fixing composite resin on flawed teeth.

However, you need to note that dental crowns are your go-to option when your tooth is severely damaged. In this case, dental bonding will not work since it aims at fixing minor dental issues. Plus, crowns can help restore your tooth.

The Bottomline

Both solutions are quite effective when used under the right circumstance. But to get the right option, you will need to discuss these options with our dentist. So, contact us today at Garrettsville Dental Group to speak to our dentist.