How to Fix Teeth Without Caps

At one time, dental crowns or caps were the only solution to restore chipped, stained or damaged teeth. For many patients, however, their hefty price tag and painful preparation led to a search for newer innovations. Today, bonding teeth with a resinous material can fix chips, cover stains and even change their shape. According to a study by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the perfect smile requires that the two front teeth measure slightly longer than the surrounding teeth. If your teeth fall short of this ideal, they can be fixed painlessly in one office visit by bonding coats of plastic to the bottom edges of the teeth.

Things You'll Need

• Etching solution containing 30 percent to 40 percent phosphoric acid
• Plastic resins of various shades
• Cotton or latex sheeting
• Small brush or equivalent applicator
• Curing light
• Dental drill with polishing disks, stones and burrs
• Carbon paper

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Instructions

Restoring Damaged Teeth with Bonding

• 1

  Blend various plastic resins to attain a shade that closely matches surrounding teeth. Isolate the tooth to be bonded and surround it with cotton or latex sheeting to keep it dry.

• 2

  Prepare the tooth with a very mild etching solution to create small crevices in the enamel. This step allows the bonding resin to better adhere to the tooth's surface. Leave solution on tooth for 15 seconds and rinse off thoroughly.

• 3

  Apply the first layer of the resinous bonding agent, filling gaps as necessary and contour into the desired shape. Each layer should be no more then 2 mm. Harden the material using a special light or chemical process. Allow about 10 to 20 seconds for curing. Then apply additional layers as needed to create bulk and shape, curing the tooth in between each one. Final curing time should last about 40 seconds.

• 4

  Sculpt and file the edges of the teeth to make them smooth and natural feeling. Use successively finer and finer grit polishing stones, burrs and disks until a very fine polish has been achieved with the bonding surface.

• 5

  Remove cotton or latex sheeting. Check bite by placing carbon paper between upper and lower teeth. Instruct the patient to bite down on it and slide teeth back and forth. Look for carbon marks on new bonding and adjust work if over bulked. Perform a final polishing and ask the patient to confirm the smoothness by running his or her tongue over the tooth's surface.