A monthly note from Chicago Beautiful Smiles, by Dr. Connor Lemieux
When we finish a bonding case or composite veneers, we usually tell our patients we’d like to see them back in 6 to 12 months for something called a bond polish. Most people say sure, schedule the appointment, and then quietly wonder later what we actually meant.
Here’s what it is and why we ask you to do it.
What Is Bond Polish?
A bond polish is a short maintenance visit, usually around 30 minutes. We refresh and re-polish your bonding using the same polishing discs and pastes we used when we placed it, keeping the surface smooth and shiny.
Why We Built Bond Polish Into Our Practice
Composite is a beautiful material, but like anything you want to last, it does best with a little routine care. Think of it the way you think about your car. You take it in for an oil change every few thousand miles, not because something is wrong, but because that’s how you keep it running great for years. The bond polish is the same idea. We see you every 6 to 12 months so we can keep the surface smooth and shining the way it did the day we placed it.
A bond polish isn’t something most dental offices offer as a standard part of their bonding and composite veneer care. We do, because keeping your bonding looking great over the long term has always been part of the job, not an extra.
What Happens At The Visit
We start by looking at each bonded tooth under magnification and check the edges where the bonding meets your tooth, noting any changes that may have shown up since we last saw you. Most of the time we’re just refreshing the polish. If we notice a small chip or rough edge, we’ll take care of it while we’re there.
Most patients tell us they can feel the difference with their tongue before they ever look in the mirror.
How Often Is My Bonding Polished?
For most people, every 6 to 12 months works well. We’ll usually try to time it with your regular cleaning so it’s one trip instead of two. We’ll figure out what makes sense for you.
What Difference Does It Make?
The patients who come in regularly for polishes are the ones whose bonding still looks great five, eight, even ten years later. It really is the quiet reason some smiles still look fresh years after the work was done.
Is It Ok If It’s Been a While?
If you had bonding done with us a while back and never came in for a polish, that’s okay. Call the office and we’ll get you in soon.
If you had your bonding done somewhere else and you’re not sure how it’s holding up, we’re happy to take a look and tell you honestly what we see.
Next month: Those White Spots on Your Teeth: A No-Drill Fix You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
