I Haven’t Stopped Smiling Since
My Latest Dental Investment

Regular readers will know that great looking teeth are important to me. I’ve made no secret of the fact that previous teeth whitening has given me a huge boost in confidence. Whether that’s been at work, in meetings or nights out. More importantly, I also have two ‘baby teeth’ canines. Yes, 34 year old milk teeth! I’ve tried to resist having them taken out and replaced with implants, so I’ve also tried crowns. In the last few years, I’ve noticed my teeth have become weaker and were eroded and chipped in some areas.

Being a tooth grinder, I’ve always felt like my smile could do with a big improvement not just in colour but in shape too, I’ve always wanted them evened out; level in height and built up around my ‘baby teeth’. Ultimately I wanted my smile to appear straighter because I always felt it slanted slightly to one side. I didn’t think there would be any other option aside from expensive veneers that could fix my issues… until I heard about a treatment called ‘Composite Bonding’.

Disclaimer: This is an honest account of my tooth bonding experience at the well established Marylebone Dental Practice in London.

What Is Tooth Bonding?

At The Marylebone Dental Practice I learned that composite bonding is growing in popularity as one of the quickest and least evasive dental treatments to give instant impressive results. Tooth bonding is where a thin layer of resin is applied to a tooth, then sculpted according to whatever is needed and finally hardened with a special light. While it’s mostly used to correct chipped, cracked or discoloured teeth, it can also be used to change the shape. You can make them appear longer (like I did around my baby teeth) and close large gaps. With composite bonding, you get a natural looking enhanced smile straight away as treatment can be done in just one sitting. It’s also less expensive than veneers (yet just as beautiful) and there is no pain, injection or drilling!

Why Composite Bonding At The Marylebone Dental Practice Was Right For Me

> Dental bonding can be used to fix many types of issues such as chipped, cracked or discoloured teeth. For me, bonding was a good solution to even out the size of my teeth and make them brighter. Because most tooth bonding procedures do not require anaesthesia, I could return to normal activities immediately after my appointment.

> Always visit an experienced dentist. I had my treatment at The Marylebone Dental Practice, my surgery for the past 7 years. It’s a well established, friendly local Marylebone dentist situated on the corner of Paddington Street and Marylebone High Street and a 10 minute walk from Baker Street Station. I had already seen before and after work on previous patients so I knew I was in good hands. Always do your research. Currently they are seeing about 60 patients a week for bonding and I saw Dr Carmen.

> You can pick and choose where you would like the bonding. Dr Carmen and Dr Robin suggested I went for 8 uppers and 8 lowers which would satisfy all of my concerns. Having the flexibility to choose means that you can vary the cost and have the option to be selective and opt to fix one or two ‘troubles’ rather than going the full route all in one go. Personally I loved the fact that I could get these amazing results in just one sitting rather than waiting for veneers.

Choosing The Shade

At The Marylebone Dental Practice they pride themselves on working collaboratively with the patient rather than telling them what to do. I love a brilliant white smile and automatically wanted the brightest shade that I could get! However, during our consultation and after discussing with Dr Carmen and Dr Robin which of the various shades available were best suited to my smile, we agreed on something a bit more natural than the number one brightest. After seeing a few different shades on my teeth, we decided on a beautiful shade that wasn’t too false looking. I’m very glad this conversation took place so I would be totally happy with the overall finish.

Before & After

(Before is without the crown covering my canine baby tooth)

My Treatment Process

Once we had selected my shade, the surface of the tooth was coated in a liquid so that the bonding material would stick more easily. An insert was put either side of the tooth to prevent the bonding going on to the surrounding teeth. This also makes it easier when it comes to shaping. My dentist then applied the resin to the tooth and moulded it into shape. A special light was then used to harden the material so that my dentist could complete the tooth with shaping and polishing etc. at the end. This process was repeated – even over my baby teeth which required a little extra attention. Treatment at The Marylebone Dental Practice was careful, considered and thoughtfully done with an end goal in mind.

Aftercare

My results are so natural that people often ask me if I’ve had work done. Nope, just fresh pearly white teeth! The results are comparable to improvements accomplished by porcelain veneers, so it’s a great way of enhancing a smile without being too invasive. There’s no drilling teeth down to little stumps going on here either! 

It’s imperative to keep teeth extremely clean once you’d had bonding, especially along the gum and in between where your natural teeth are exposed. Alongside brushing twice a day I also use interdental brushes between the bonding daily and have invested in a wonderful WaterPik Water Flosser which includes pulse-modulation technology for maximum plaque removal.

I could not be happier with my teeth and even a couple of weeks on, they still feel brand new! It’s given me a whole new lift in confidence to be able to smile and laugh without covering up my teeth.

For more information, contact:

The Marylebone Dental Practice
61 Paddington Street 
London 
W1U 4JD 

Nearest Tube – Baker Street.

Tel. 020 7935 2980
Web: MaryleboneDental.co.uk