Aesthetic composite bonding can repair a chipped edge, close a small gap, reshape an uneven tooth, or improve worn areas without covering the entire tooth. At LPS Dental, our Chicago dentists sculpt tooth colored composite directly onto the teeth, making bonding a conservative option for patients who want a noticeable improvement without jumping straight to veneers or more extensive treatment.
4.9 Overall Rating
Serving Chicago
Across Chicago
Trusted by Chicago — our associations, accreditations and partners.
What We Offer
Aesthetic composite bonding can repair a chipped edge, close a small gap, reshape an uneven tooth, or improve worn areas without covering the entire tooth. At LPS Dental, our Chicago dentists sculpt tooth colored composite directly onto the teeth, making bonding a conservative option for patients who want a noticeable improvement without jumping straight to veneers or more extensive treatment.
Front teeth take plenty of abuse over the years. One awkward bite, an old injury, or ordinary wear can leave an edge looking noticeably different from the tooth beside it. Bonding allows us to rebuild the missing area and shape it to follow the original tooth.
A narrow space between teeth can sometimes be closed without orthodontics or porcelain veneers. Composite is carefully added to the neighboring tooth surfaces until the space looks more balanced. The proportions still matter. If closing the gap would make the teeth look too wide, we may recommend a different approach.
One front tooth may be shorter, narrower, more rounded, or simply shaped differently from its neighbor. Bonding gives us the ability to make small changes to those contours while leaving most of the natural tooth alone.
Teeth can become shorter or flatter from years of grinding and everyday wear. Composite can sometimes rebuild those areas, although we also need to understand why the teeth wore down. If grinding or bite forces are still present, protecting the new bonding becomes part of the conversation.
Composite can cover a localized area of discoloration or help a tooth blend better with the teeth beside it. When the whole smile has become darker, professional teeth whitening may be a simpler place to start.
Sometimes nothing is obviously broken or crooked. The smile just feels a little uneven. A slight addition to one edge or corner can change how two teeth relate to one another. These are often the cases where restraint matters most.
Comfort, Expertise, And Trust
Patient story from Lincoln Park Smiles
Tell us what you notice. The recommendation comes after we understand the problem.
Treatment should look like your smile, not a one-size-fits-all result.
We evaluate the health of the teeth and gums, existing restorations, tooth position, and bite before treatment.
We explain why something is recommended, what alternatives exist, and what treatment involves before you decide.
How It Works
Maybe you have looked at the same chipped tooth in pictures for years. Or perhaps you cannot put your finger on one particular tooth, but the edges of your smile feel uneven. Show us. That is enough to begin.
We examine the tooth, surrounding enamel, gums, bite, and any existing dental work. A cosmetic repair only makes sense if the tooth underneath it is healthy. We also look for habits such as grinding that could place extra force on the new bonding.
The composite is selected to blend with the natural teeth around it. Then comes the part that cannot be picked from a catalog. We work through the length, width, edge shape, and contour needed for that particular tooth. Sometimes the best result is the one where nobody can tell exactly what we changed.
The tooth surface is prepared for bonding, and the composite resin is applied in layers. Your dentist shapes the material, hardens it, refines the bite, and polishes the surface so it feels smooth and blends with the surrounding enamel.
A tooth can look good by itself and still feel wrong when you smile. Before we finish, we look at how the bonding relates to the tooth beside it, your bite, your lip line, and the rest of the smile. Small refinements can make a real difference.
Meet The LPS Dental Team
LPS Dental's roots in Chicago go back to 1999, when Dr. Jack Manikowski opened Lincoln Park Smiles.
Today, LPS Dental has three Chicago offices and a team whose experience extends across cosmetic, restorative, implant, periodontal, prosthodontic, and general dentistry.
Treatment planning that considers appearance, tooth structure, function, and long-term health together.
Dr. Jack Manikowski is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
Digital scanning and planning tools help us evaluate and communicate proposed treatment.
It is normal to have questions before treatment. Here are some of the things patients often want to understand first.
Composite bonding is a cosmetic dental treatment that uses tooth colored resin to change or repair part of a tooth. The material is applied directly to the tooth, shaped by the dentist, hardened, and polished. It can be used for concerns such as chips, small gaps, worn edges, uneven shapes, and selected areas of discoloration.
In cosmetic dentistry, the terms composite bonding, dental bonding, cosmetic bonding, and tooth bonding are commonly used to describe the same general type of treatment involving tooth colored composite resin.
Bonding is most commonly used on visible teeth where relatively small changes are needed. Whether a particular tooth is suitable depends on how much structure is present, how the tooth meets the opposing teeth, where the composite would be placed, and what you want to change.
Yes, repairing chipped front teeth is one of the common uses of composite bonding. The missing area can be rebuilt with resin and shaped to follow the original contour of the tooth. We also look at why the tooth chipped, particularly when grinding or bite forces may have contributed.
Small spaces can often be reduced or closed by adding composite to the sides of neighboring teeth. The proportions matter. If too much material would be required and the teeth would end up looking overly wide, Invisalign or another treatment may make more sense.
It can change the appearance of mildly uneven teeth by altering their shape or contour, but it does not physically move the teeth. When crowding, rotation, or tooth position is the real issue, orthodontic treatment may be the more appropriate option.
For some problems, yes. For others, no. Bonding is generally more conservative and can work very well for small chips, gaps, worn edges, and limited shape changes. Veneers may provide more control when several teeth need larger changes in color, proportions, shape, or surface appearance. The choice should depend on the teeth rather than which treatment happens to be more popular.
Bonding can often be completed with little removal of healthy tooth structure, particularly when material is being added to correct a small cosmetic issue. The amount of preparation depends on the individual case. One reason we like bonding for suitable patients is that it can often provide a cosmetic improvement while preserving much of the natural tooth.
Visit us in Lincoln Park, Downtown Chicago, or Norwood Park. The first appointment should leave you with a clearer picture of your dental health and what, if anything, needs to happen next.
