Positive Habits To Adopt After Dental Bonding

Dental bonding can be an effective way to change the look of your smile for the better. Whether you have a misshapen tooth, a tooth that is shorter than those around it, or a tooth that is chipped, your dentist can use bonding to make the tooth look better. Many people rely on dental bonding merely for cosmetic reasons, while other people use bonding to fix problem areas. Regardless of your use of this procedure, you need to know how to take care of the area afterward. The bonded area has a firm fit to your existing tooth, but that doesn't mean that it will stay on forever. Certain issues can increase the risk of the bonded area coming off, so you'll want to adopt these positive habits.

Protect Your Teeth With A Mouthguard

A mouthguard is an essential piece of safety gear for any contact sport, although not everyone chooses to wear one at all times. If you play a sport recreationally that poses a risk of contact, you need to start wearing a mouthguard. Even a gentle bump to your face could result in the bonding failing, especially if it's on one of your front teeth. While this won't necessarily hurt, it will precipitate a return visit to the dentist to have the issue corrected. A properly fitting mouthguard decreases the risk of this issue.

Stop Chewing Things

While it's OK to chew gum after dental bonding, you'll want to get rid of any other chewing habits that you have. If you chew on your fingernails, you need to realize that this habit can be detrimental to your recent dental work. The pressure that you exert to a tooth that has been bonded carries the risk of knocking the bonded area off the tooth. Similarly, chewing your pen or pencil, or even a toothpick, are all habits that can lead to the same unfortunate result.

Watch What You Eat

After dental bonding, you need to be more conscious about what you eat—and how it could pose a problem to your dental work. Generally, you'll want to be wary of hard foods or foods that have hard elements. Chicken wings, for example, might not be seen as hard, but if your tooth were to make inadvertent contact with the bone, it could knock the bonded area loose. Similarly, corn on the cob can be a food that you're better off avoiding after this dental procedure.

For more information, contact a dentist that offers cosmetic dentistry services.