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Can dental bonding be removed?

Dental bonding is a reversible treatment and can be removed if required. The removal of the bonding can take place without harming the involved tooth. The process is fast and not painful.

Bonding is the application of a tooth-colored composite resin to correct minor imperfections of your teeth. It can treat spots, chips, and gaps between teeth. It is one of the least complicated dental procedures.

However, there may be situations when you might want to remove your bonding. There is no reason to be scared. All you need to do is to find a licensed dentist experienced in dental bonding.

Read More: Dental Bonding: Before and After

Why you might want to remove your dental bonding

Your dental bonding has stains

Resin composite bonding cannot be whitened. That is why dentists recommend whitening the teeth before choosing a shade for your bonding.

Bonding can be stained for several reasons:

  • Excessive consumption of tea, coffee, or even pigmented beverages may cause discoloration to your bonding.
  • Consumption of tobacco products.
  • Tartar buildup.
  • Age of bonding. Bondings are not permanent. They are supposed to decay. Old resin composite may lose its strength in time, letting molecules enter their surface.
  • Damage to the bonding material can cause discoloration.

You want to redo dental bonding

You may want to redo your dental bonding for many reasons, including the following:

  • Your bonding has come to the end of its life.
  • The bonding has changed its color.
  • Your teeth have changed their shades, and your bonding does not match your teeth.
  • The bonding material is damaged.
  • Your teeth have cavities. The holes need to be refilled.

Also Read: Dental Bonding Costs: How to Save?

Your dental bonding is damaged

  • Fall or application of force can damage your dental bonding.
  • Your bite has changed, and the tooth opposite to the bonded tooth has damaged your dental bonding.
  • You have eaten tough food and cracked your bonding.
  • If you have a zirconia crown opposite to your bonded tooth, it may be damaged as the zirconia crown is too strong for it.
  • Grinding and clenching have damaged your dental bonding.

Your dental bonding has come off

Dental bonding is not meant to last forever. Under different circumstances, it may come off partly or in full. Consider the following:

  • You have pulled it off by accident.
  • The bonding is old.
  • The resin bonding is glued to the surface of your tooth. The adhesive has given up.
  • Sometimes it is not the adhesive but the dentist. Your dentist has not done an excellent job with the adhesive. Such a situation is rare but not impossible.
  • There is decay under the bonding material. The bonding has become loose.

You want a different cosmetic dental treatment

You may choose one of the following alternatives to dental bonding:

  • Veneers. They are more expensive than the bonding but offer better results and duration. You have used bondings, which means your tooth is still solid. Veneers can be an ideal solution for you.
  • Crowns. While veneers can cover the front side of your tooth, a crown can cover all that remains above the gumline.

However, crowns are more invasive than veneers. More rooms must be made for it on your teeth by shaving off a part of the enamel layer. That makes them non-reversible dental procedures.

Also Read: No-prep Veneers: A Mini Guide

How a dentist might remove your dental bonding

By using a sandpaper disk

Sandpaper disks help polish dental restorations. They are also called finishing discs. However, if required, as in this case, they can be used to remove dental bonding. They can be soft or coarse and are used in sequences.

The discs can also be color-coded. Those with the darkest color are used for gross reduction of the bonding layer, while the ones with the lightest color are used to remove the fine parts left on the enamel.

By using a drill

Dentists use two kinds of drills:

  • Electric drills
  • Turbine-powered drills

Your dentist may use a carbide drill to remove your dental bonding. Carbide is three times stiffer than steel and can maintain its sharpness while cutting hard material.

The dentist can remove your bonding in no time without damaging the tooth or its enamel surface. But the process requires experience and precision on the part of the dentist.

By using a non-drill technique like air abrasion

Air abrasion is sandblasting.

In this process, your dentist strikes your dental bonding with tiny particles made of silica or aluminum oxide with the help of compressed air or gas.

The broken particles of the bonding are then suctioned away with a tube.

The air-abrasion bonding removal process may take longer than removing bonding using a carbide drill. But it is significantly less destructive.

Is removing dental bonding safe?

Removing dental bonding is safe. The related tooth remains unhurt. The process is also quick and painless. Suppose your dentist chooses air abrasion as the preferred method of removing your dental bonding. In that case, they will apply a protective resin to the surrounding teeth, so that silica particles cannot damage them. The removed resin bonding particles are also quickly suctioned away so they do not enter your respiratory system.

Will my teeth be rough after removing dental bonding?

Your teeth will not be rough after the removal of dental bonding. Their color may not match the color of your other teeth, but your dentist will make sure that their surfaces are polished and smooth.

You may have already decided on a course of action after the removal of your bonding. If you plan to do another bonding, you can do that immediately. Crowns will require two appointments. Veneers will take one to two appointments.

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