Dentistry @ JordanhillWest End of Glasgow
Composite bonding
Tooth-coloured resin shaped onto your own teeth to fix chips, gaps and uneven edges, often in one visit. Usually no drilling and no anaesthetic.
What it fixes
Bonding is one of the simplest ways to change the shape, length or surface of a front tooth. It is added to your own tooth rather than cut into it, which is why it suits so many small, nagging problems.
Not sure which of these describes your teeth? That is what the £48 consultation is for: your dentist will look at your teeth and tell you whether bonding is the right answer, or whether another treatment would serve you better.
Before and after
No stock images and no models. These are smiles treated in this practice, photographed before and after.
Chipped and worn upper edges built back up, so the smile line sits level again.
Short, irregular front teeth reshaped and the discoloured patches covered.
Individual outcomes vary; your dentist can show you similar cases at your consultation.
Choosing the right treatment
Three treatments change the look of front teeth, and they do different jobs. Often the right answer is one of them; sometimes it is two in sequence.
Resin added to the tooth. Fixes chips, small gaps, worn edges and marks. Usually one visit, no drilling, and nothing permanent is done to the tooth. The most affordable of the three.
A thin porcelain shell fitted over the front of the tooth. Suits larger changes to shape, colour and alignment, and is more durable and more stain-resistant than bonding. Needs some preparation of the tooth and more than one visit.
About veneers →Changes the colour of your natural teeth, not their shape. If you want both, whitening comes first: the resin is matched to your teeth on the day, and it will not lighten afterwards.
About whitening →Unsure? Book the consultation. You will get a clear answer on which treatment suits your teeth, including when the honest answer is that you do not need one.
Your appointment
Most bonding is completed in a single treatment visit. Here is what happens, step by step.
You can eat and drink normally the same day. We review the result with you before you leave, and you are welcome to come back if anything feels high or catches.
Nervous about the dentist? There is usually no injection and no drilling; you set the pace and can stop at any point by raising a hand.
How we help nervous patients →What it costs
You will know the full cost after your consultation, before any treatment begins.
Finance is available on larger treatment plans.
Spread the cost of your treatment →The £48 consultation is taken off the cost of your treatment if you go ahead. It is not refunded if you decide not to proceed, or if treatment turns out not to be suitable for you.
Two things: how many teeth you want treated, and how much work each one needs. A small chip on one tooth sits at the lower end. Rebuilding the edges of six or eight front teeth sits at the upper end. Most people treat the teeth that show when they smile rather than the whole mouth.
Bonding is added to the surface of your own teeth rather than cut into them, so unlike veneers it does not permanently alter the teeth underneath, and it costs considerably less per tooth.
See the full fee guide →
Your dentist
Principal Dentist
Radhika has over two decades’ experience in restorative and cosmetic dentistry, with a special interest in helping nervous patients feel at ease. Your bonding is planned with you before anything begins, carried out by the dentist who planned it, and reviewed with you afterwards.
BDS, MFDS RCPSG, Dip Rest RCS(Eng), MSc Implantology (Distinction), FCGDent, MFGDP(UK) · GDC 170971
Meet the full clinical team →What patients say
…helped restore my composite bonding from previous dentist and made me smile ready for my wedding. Such a friendly and welcoming practice
Composite bonding FAQs
Anything we have not covered, ask at your consultation or call the practice on 0141 334 2550.
Typically 3–7 years depending on care. With good oral hygiene and regular check-ups, many patients enjoy their results for longer. Bonding on edges that take a lot of biting force wears sooner than bonding that covers a mark on the face of a tooth.
Usually painless; most patients need no anaesthetic. The tooth surface is only lightly prepared, so there is none of the sensitivity that can follow drilling. If a tooth is already sensitive or a chip is close to the nerve, your dentist will numb it first.
At Dentistry @ Jordanhill, composite bonding costs from £220 to £452 per tooth, with a £48 consultation first, which is taken off the cost of treatment if you go ahead. Bonding is usually less expensive than veneers or crowns, and the total depends on how many teeth you have treated. The full price is confirmed at your consultation.
One treatment visit for most cases, after a separate £48 consultation. Most bonding, including several teeth, is finished in that one visit. A larger case, or bonding combined with whitening or aligners, is planned over more than one appointment, and you will know that before you start.
The resin is carefully colour-matched to your natural teeth and built in thin layers, then shaped and polished by hand, so the join between tooth and bonding is hard to see. The before and after photographs on this page are our own patients.
It can stain over time, but good oral hygiene and limiting tea, coffee and smoking will keep staining to a minimum, and a professional polish every 6 to 12 months helps maintain the finish. Tooth whitening does not change the colour of composite resin, so if you want whiter teeth, whiten first and bond afterwards.
Composite bonding is quicker and more conservative, often in one visit, and nothing permanent is done to the tooth. Veneers are more durable and suit more extensive changes to shape, colour and alignment, but need some preparation of the tooth. We will help you choose what suits your goals best.
About porcelain veneers →Largely, yes. Because the resin is added to the surface of the tooth with little or no drilling, it can usually be adjusted, repaired or removed later with little change to the tooth underneath. That is one of the main reasons people choose it over veneers.
Bonding can chip if you bite something hard with a front tooth, in the same way a natural edge can. The good news is that it is usually a quick repair: new resin is added to the existing bonding and polished, without starting again.
Brush twice a day with a non-abrasive toothpaste, floss as normal, and keep up your routine check-ups and hygiene visits. Avoid biting your nails, chewing pens or opening packets with your front teeth. If you grind your teeth at night, ask about a night guard to protect the bonding.
About hygiene visits →Small gaps, yes: resin is added to the teeth on each side so they meet, or nearly meet, without the teeth looking too wide. For a larger gap, or several gaps, aligners such as Invisalign may move the teeth first and bonding finishes the result. Your dentist will tell you which applies to you.
About Invisalign →Bonding can disguise a slightly rotated or set-back tooth by reshaping its surface so it sits in line with its neighbours, which is sometimes called cosmetic contouring. It does not move teeth. If the teeth are noticeably crowded or crooked, aligners straighten them first and bonding, if it is still needed, finishes the edges afterwards.
About Invisalign →Bonding is one of the most conservative cosmetic treatments there is. The tooth is lightly roughened and conditioned so the resin can grip, but little or no enamel is removed, which is the main difference from veneers and crowns. Keeping up your hygiene visits matters, because the join between resin and tooth is where plaque likes to collect.
Find us in the West End
454 Crow Road, Glasgow G11 7DR
Next to Jordanhill train station, on bus routes, with parking close by. Ground-floor surgery with disabled access at the front of the practice. Opening hours are in the footer below.
Get directions →Taken off your treatment cost if you go ahead. You will see similar cases, get a clear answer on whether bonding suits your teeth, and leave knowing the full cost.