Bonding & Fillings - are they the same.

[SapperGB]

Hi,

I wondered if anyone could answer, are bonding and fillings (white) one in the same thing?

The reason i ask is that i have had a chipped corner of one of my front teeth filled and refilled (ten times in 2 years approx.) each time the tooth has been filled it has fallen out within a few months, each refill done requires more of my tooth to be ground away. If bonding is different to a standard filling would it last longer?

I am looking to get this repaired on a more permanent basis. My dentist has said she would veneer this tooth but aside from the procedure (I am terrified of needles) i am also worried of having mis-matched front teeth (dentist will only do the troubled tooth - me being a NHS patient).

Any advice would be most welcome.
Thank you

[prosman]

bonding refers to the attachment of the white filling material, ortho bracket, veneer etc... i.e it is the process of attaching not the result of the attachment

[SapperGB]

Many thanks for the reply, I understand the literal meaning of bonding, in the way of joining things together.

There is a great deal of talk in having teeth Composite bonded (or simply just referenced to as bonding) I am pretty sure this is just another term for a white filling, could you clarify this for me please?

[prosman]

Many thanks for the reply, I understand the literal meaning of bonding, in the way of joining things together.

There is a great deal of talk in having teeth Composite bonded (or simply just referenced to as bonding) I am pretty sure this is just another term for a white filling, could you clarify this for me please?

it is a nasty americanism IMO it usually refers to white fgs but can sometimes relate to direct veneers etc... however, the term is more in relation to situations where you are just adding onto the tooth i.e. bonding to it than a fg, where you are missing tooth structure because of decay and the finished fg is retentive mechanically as well as chemically.
Where you are missing tooth structure because of trauma the term white filling and bonding may be interchangeable depending on how much preparation there has been of the remaining tooth.
Hope this helps
Nick