Dental bonding is primarily a cosmetic procedure. It can be used to build up teeth that have been chipped, are too small, or to reshape teeth on either side of a gap to close it. It can also lengthen teeth that appear to be too short or straighten the look of a slightly crooked smile. The resin is applied in such a way that it makes up for what is missing in your natural tooth, without it being obvious where your real tooth ends, and the bonding begins.
Dental bonding can also be used to whiten discolored teeth if traditional tooth whitening procedures won’t work for you. The dentist can simply apply a thin layer of resin in the desired color over each discolored tooth.
Dental bonding does little to strengthen or protect a tooth. If your tooth is chipped or cracked severely enough, your dentist may recommend a protective dental crown instead.