With dental bonding at the Smile Design Center, you can receive a complete, conservative smile makeover in as little as one appointment. Accredited and world-renowned cosmetic dentist Dr. Corky Willhite applies his artistry to each individual tooth to give you a beautiful smile that’s so true to life, no one will ever suspect it’s been cosmetically enhanced!
A Conservative Smile Makeover
Dental bonding is a very conservative technique that uses an advanced, enamel-matching material to change the appearance of teeth — closing gaps, repairing chips, covering discolorations, improving alignment, and much more. Whether you have one problem tooth or want all your teeth to look better, Dr. Willhite applies his expertise and artistry to each one.
Dr. Corky Willhite teaches dental bonding to dentists all over the globe, so his expertise in this field is literally world-renowned! He has taught dentists around the world on every continent except Antarctica! He innovated the idea that composite resin bonding could be used to make major changes in occlusion (the technical word for a person’s bite) as well as appearance.
For 30 years, Dr. Willhite has offered two types of dental bonding — Enhanced and Transitional — which provide varying degrees of esthetics at different price points to fit virtually any person’s preferences and budget.
Bonding can be accomplished in one appointment, so the improvement to your smile can be enjoyed immediately! When done properly, Enhanced Bonding can achieve “ultimate esthetics” and look as good as porcelain or natural enamel. Transitional Bonding is a simpler, less “perfect” option that costs less but is still great at providing dramatic improvement. The restorations are not only beautiful but are also comfortable and long-lasting.
Oftentimes with bonding, little to no tooth structure needs to be removed, allowing for very conservative treatment options for our patients who value a less aggressive approach that still allows for very esthetic results. Some patients choose to renew their entire smile with bonding, while others opt for a combination of bonding and porcelain veneers. When properly done, both result in a truly esthetic, natural-looking smile.
For a complete smile makeover involving treatment of the upper and lower teeth, Transitional Bonding is often done on the lower teeth, while the top teeth are treated with Enhanced Bonding or porcelain veneers.
In addition to its wonderful use in smile makeovers, bonding is also a convenient and fully restorative solution for limited cosmetic issues such as:
- Gaps between teeth
- Tooth chips or fractures
- Spots or discolored areas
- Poorly shaped teeth
- Small or worn teeth
- Tetracycline-stained teeth
How It Works
To perform this treatment, Dr. Willhite first gently prepares the tooth by microscopically roughening the tooth surface to facilitate the adhesion of the bonding resin. Composite materials in various shades and translucencies are then carefully applied to re-create and enhance the esthetics of the tooth. Your comfort is our priority, and you will receive a painless experience with us. At the Smile Design Center, we offer two types of bonding. Read on to learn more about each type.
Enhanced Dental Bonding for “Ultimate Esthetics”
Enhanced Bonding is our premium treatment in which Dr. Willhite skillfully and meticulously blends and applies various types of composite material to each tooth to closely mimic all the color subtleties and texture of a natural tooth. The end result is esthetically excellent and seamlessly natural-looking, mimicking the details found in natural teeth and rivaling the effects recreated in lab-crafted porcelain restorations such as veneers. The photo below shows an example of an Enhanced Bonding treatment Dr. Willhite provided for a patient.
Transitional Dental Bonding
Transitional Bonding is a conservative treatment in which Dr. Willhite applies a single shade of composite material to each tooth. This type of bonding can be completed in less time and is a more cost-effective option, while still offering a dramatic smile upgrade. For patients for whom budget might be a barrier, this is a great option to achieve a big improvement in your smile. You always have the option of upgrading from Transitional Bonding to Enhanced Bonding at a later date, should you decide you want to. The photo below shows an example of a Transitional Bonding treatment Dr. Willhite provided for a patient.
Common Questions
How Long Will My Treatment Take?
Typically, Ultimate Esthetics Bonding takes more time than Transitional Bonding. However, the time taken per tooth varies on a case-by-case basis. We often complete smile makeovers in a single treatment appointment!
How Long Does Bonding Last?
The quality of the bonding material and the technique of the dentist have a huge effect on the longevity of dental bonding. But its longevity is also influenced by other factors within the patient’s control, including at-home habits such as maintaining a healthy diet and proper oral hygiene, wearing a night-time appliance if needed, and not using your teeth as tools.
In our experience, it seems that average bonding usually lasts from three to ten years, but we can honestly tell our patients that bonding done with the highest quality technique usually lasts ten years, or even more. At the Smile Design Center, we find that many of our patients’ smiles tend to last far longer. It’s not unusual for us to see bonding that Dr Willhite did still in place at 15 and even 25 years.
Your Cosmetic Dentist
In addition to his long standing as an Accredited Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, Dr. Corky Willhite has also achieved highest distinction as an AACD Fellow. His excellence in cosmetic dentistry has garnered worldwide recognition, as he teaches his specific bonding techniques to dentists all over the world. To learn more about Dr. Willhite, visit our Meet the Dentist page.
Beautiful, Authentic, Yours
Whether you’re looking to renew a single tooth or your whole smile, we’d love to help you. To get started, simply give us a call at (504) 831-1131 to schedule an appointment. If you prefer, you may also request an appointment online, and we’ll contact you to schedule.
