My chipped front tooth was first bonded about 25 years ago. It lasted for
about 18 years. When it started to erode, I had it redone. In the last
2.5 years, the bonded part has fallen off 2x (usually while eating
something that's moderately hard). Was the material used for bonding in
the late seventies stronger?
> My chipped front tooth was first bonded about 25 years ago. It lasted for
> about 18 years. When it started to erode, I had it redone. In the last
> 2.5 years, the bonded part has fallen off 2x (usually while eating
> something that's moderately hard). Was the material used for bonding in
> the late seventies stronger?
No. I've found that with repeated bondings, bond strength tends to go
down. There may be some material incompatibilities, but mostly the
surface of the enamel gets contaminated by tags of resin, and these can
be contaminated over time. Also, the chips tend to get bigger, not smaller.
Usually in these cases I will "freshen up" the surface of the enamel,
in order to expose some fresher enamel with less contamination.
Obviously this removes tooth structure, so you have to do it judiciously.
If the restoration continues to fail, you have to go to Plan
B--laminate veneer or crown.
Steve

Signature
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001