Should I have my 12 year old's teeth bonded before braces?
Question:
Answers:
I assume your son can still chew food just fine. Bonding is a cosmetic fix for small spaces that is used after braces or in lieu of braces. It doesn't make sense to get both. The braces should pull the teeth to fill in the spaces and it will take time to do that. The dentist is probably trying to show immediate results. I would recommend finding an orthodontist or a different dentist.
Regarding bonding, a dentist should match the color of the bonding to the teeth so they should blend perfectly and you shouldn't be able to tell the bonding is there even if you are inches away from their face. If the dentist can't match, they are not a good eye for cosmetics.
Teeth stain naturally and would only get whiter if your son is using whitening toothpaste or other tooth whiteners. If anything the teeth will get darker and at that point the bonding will need to be replaced.
NO! I have bonded teeth because of chips, and when I got braces, the glue used to stick the brackets to the tooth would not adhere well to the bonded teeth. After a week or so, the brackets would just pop off. Eventually I had to get the type of brackets that they use for molars, and because of that, everyone always told me that I has tin foil stuck in my braces.
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