An alternative to veneers is a process called bonding, in which a tooth-colored material that looks like the enamel of your teeth is molded and shaped, and then hardened and polished. Bonding can be used to improve the color of a tooth, or close unsightly gaps. Bonding is generally not as permanent a process as veneers, and can vulnerable to the same kind of staining your natural teeth are prone to. Bonding can also be more prone to chips and cracks than veneers.
Caps are generally preferred to bonding when such a procedure isn’t deemed to be effective in the long run.
White Fillings (composite fillings)
We have the experience and expertise to bring together the various advanced dental disciplines required to create white fillings that not only look great but they function correctly, healthy and will last for many years to come.
Modern white fillings are a combination of a resin and nano-particles of glass. This combination gives white fillings their dental name; composite resins.
White Fillings can be used to replace decay, just like silver fillings or replace old silver fillings for cosmetic reasons.
The enhanced cosmetics are the main benefit of white fillings, they can look just like natural teeth. Many people are also concerned about the potential risks of mercury containing silver fillings.
On average White Fillings should last for 7-10 years. We advise that white fillings are best when the cavity/ filling to be replaced is small to medium in size. When a larger filling is required a porcelain inlay or porcelain onlay is a better option.
Porcelain Inlays / Porcelain Onlays
Porcelain inlays or porcelain onlays are fillings made of porcelain that fit into or onto the tooth. They are indicated when there is too little tooth structure to predictably support a white filling but there is enough tooth to avoid placing a crown, which is more destructive to the tooth.
Porcelain inlays / porcelain onlays take 2 visits to complete. The first session is when the decay or old filling is painlessly removed, a detailed impression is taken and a type of white filling is placed temporarily. Our master ceramist then creates the custom made porcelain inlay or porcelain onlay in the lab. The second session is 1-2 weeks later when we bond the porcelain inlay or porcelain onlay, which fits exactly, to the tooth.
The big advantage of porcelain inlays / porcelain onlays is that they are much more durable than white fillings, lasting up to 30 years. Fillings often reduce the strength of a tooth but porcelain inlays / porcelain actually can only increase the strength of the tooth.