Dr. Katie To explains that dental bonding lasts longer with good oral hygiene, regular checkups, and avoiding habits like chewing ice or using teeth as tools. Plaque buildup, acid reflux, and mouth breathing erode the bond. Her clinic offers a six-year warranty when patients follow proper care.
The number one question I get is, how long does bonding last? And I actually had a test drive today, and that was one of their first questions. And this really depends on the patient. Many factors. Is your oral hygiene good? If there's a lot of plaque buildup, then plaque is gonna be more acidic, and that's gonna cause the bonding to break down. Even with natural tooth structure, it's gonna cause cavities and cause gum disease. Oral hygiene habits, regular maintenance. Is the patient coming in every whatever amount of time they need to come in? You don't wanna disappear for a couple years, come back, and things are breaking down. Nighttime appliances, we talked a little bit about that. Patient habits— are they using their teeth as tools? Are they chewing on ice? Because all of these things are going to break down the lifetime of the bonding. The acidity levels— certain patients that mouth breathe, or they have GERD, or they just chew on limes or things that have a lot of acidity. Bonding, just like enamel— enamel is the strongest thing in your body, but if they're being exposed to a lot of acid, then that's going to break down because enamel also really doesn't like acid. And then the good thing about the bonding that we do here is that we do back it up with a 6-year warranty.
