Edge bonding
A sliver of resin restores a chipped or worn incisal edge. The smallest and quickest form of the treatment.
From £395 per tooth
Cosmetic dentistry · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Composite bonding in Marylebone: small, precise repairs to front teeth
Composite bonding is the technique of adding tooth-coloured resin to a tooth and shaping it by hand, then hardening it with a blue light and polishing it until the join disappears. It suits problems that are small in scale but large in how they read on a face: a corner knocked off a front tooth, an edge worn flat by grinding, a narrow gap, one tooth that sits a little shorter than its neighbour. Because the resin is added rather than the tooth being cut back, the enamel underneath is left almost entirely alone. At Wimpole Street this is the treatment we reach for first when a patient asks about veneers, since in a good proportion of cases it solves the complaint at a fraction of the cost and commitment.
- From £395 per tooth
- Usually one visit
- Typically lasts 5–7 years
Suitability
Is it right for you?
A good fit when
- Chips or fractured corners on front teeth where the rest of the tooth is sound.
- Edges worn short or uneven, provided the grinding that caused it is being managed.
- Gaps up to roughly 2–3 mm between front teeth, particularly a midline diastema.
- A single tooth that looks smaller, narrower or slightly rotated compared with its pair.
- White or brown patches on enamel that have not responded to whitening or resin infiltration.
- Patients who want a reversible, add-only change before committing to porcelain.
Think twice, or choose another route, when
- Teeth that are significantly discoloured all over; a thin layer of resin cannot mask a dark tooth without looking bulky.
- Large gaps or crowding that would need every front tooth reshaped; orthodontics or veneers give a better result.
- Heavy clenching or grinding without a night guard, which fractures resin edges repeatedly.
- Active decay or gum inflammation around the teeth in question; these are treated first.
- Back teeth under heavy chewing load, where a filling, onlay or crown is the right material.
The process
How it works at Wimpole Street
- 01
Consultation and shade planning
We photograph the teeth, check the bite and confirm the enamel is healthy. If you are considering whitening, that is done first and bonding is booked about a fortnight later so the resin is matched to the settled colour.
- 02
Isolation and surface preparation
The tooth is kept dry with cotton rolls or a rubber sheet. The enamel is cleaned, lightly etched with a mild acid gel for a few seconds and coated with a bonding agent. No drilling is needed for most edge and gap cases, and an injection is rarely required.
- 03
Layered build-up
Resin is applied in thin increments, each cured with a light, using shades that mimic dentine at the core and enamel at the surface. A clear matrix or a silicone key made from a wax model guides the outline when several teeth are involved.
- 04
Shaping, bite check and polish
Once the shape is right we check that your teeth meet as they did before, refine the edge with fine discs and strips, and polish through several grades until the surface has the same lustre as enamel. Allow 30–60 minutes per tooth.
- 05
Review
A short review a few weeks later lets us re-polish anything that has picked up a mark and confirm you are happy with the shape once you have lived with it.
Choices
Options & materials
Gap closure
Resin is added to the sides of two adjacent teeth so the space closes without either tooth looking wide.
From £395 per tooth
Multi-tooth bonding with wax-up
Four to eight front teeth built to a laboratory design, often after whitening, for a coordinated result that stops short of veneers.
From £2,370 for six teeth
Fees
What it costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
Composite bonding, per tooth Single visit. Includes shade matching, build-up and polish. | From £395 |
Six-tooth bonding Upper front six teeth, often preceded by whitening. | From £2,370 |
Eight-tooth bonding Canine to canine plus first premolars. | From £3,160 |
Trial smile preview Temporary mock-up in the mouth; credited to treatment if you proceed. | £250 |
New patient examination Introductory rate; the usual fee is £95. | £30 |
Indicative Wimpole Street fees, the same as at South Kensington and St Paul's. A written plan with the exact figure is agreed before anything is started.
Outcomes
What the result looks like
A single bonded edge, done well, is invisible to anyone who does not know it is there. The resin picks up light in much the same way as enamel and the polished surface reflects rather than absorbs, which is why the join line vanishes. Across several teeth the effect is a smile that looks rested and even rather than obviously treated; the aim is that people notice you, not your dentistry.
Resin is not ceramic. Over years it will gather a little surface stain, particularly at the margin if you drink a lot of coffee or red wine, and the gloss softens. Most of this is reversed by a polish at a hygiene visit. Chips can happen, usually from biting something hard, and are repaired by adding fresh resin to the existing work rather than starting again.
Afterwards
Looking after the result
- Avoid strongly coloured food and drink for the first 48 hours while the surface finishes curing.
- Brush twice daily with a non-whitening, low-abrasion toothpaste; charcoal and whitening pastes dull the polish.
- Do not bite fingernails, pens, ice or the ends of cotton and thread. Resin edges fail at the same points enamel would.
- Wear a night guard if you grind. This single habit does more for longevity than anything else.
- Book a hygiene appointment every six months and ask for the bonded teeth to be re-polished.
- If an edge feels rough or chips, come in promptly; early repairs are quicker and cheaper than late ones.
Informed consent
Risks and honest limitations
Every treatment has trade-offs. These are the ones we discuss at the consultation so that a decision is made with full information rather than after the fact.
- Longevity is variable. Most bonding lasts five to seven years, some considerably longer, but edge bonding on a heavy grinder may chip within months. We cannot promise a lifespan for any individual tooth.
- Resin stains more readily than enamel or porcelain. Smokers and heavy tea or coffee drinkers should expect more frequent polishing and eventual replacement.
- Colour cannot be changed once placed. Whitening afterwards will lighten your teeth but not the resin, which is why whitening comes first.
- Sensitivity after bonding is uncommon but can occur for a few days, especially if a small amount of enamel needed smoothing.
- Where enamel is roughened or a sharp fracture line is tidied before bonding, that tiny amount of tooth removal is not reversible, although it is far less than a veneer requires.
- Bonding cannot correct alignment. Teeth that are noticeably crooked are better moved with aligners; resin used to disguise crowding tends to look bulky.
FAQ
Questions patients ask
Usually not. Bonding onto enamel does not touch the nerve, so most edge, gap and shape cases are done without anaesthetic. If a chip extends into dentine and the tooth is sensitive, a small local injection is offered.
Five to seven years is a fair expectation, with polishing along the way. Some patients pass ten years, and some heavy grinders need repairs sooner. When it does wear, it is repaired or replaced without harming the tooth underneath.
Yes. Because the resin sits on lightly prepared enamel, it can be polished away and the tooth returned to very close to its starting state. This is the main reason we suggest it before porcelain for younger patients.
If you are thinking about whitening at all, do it before bonding. Resin is colour-matched at the time of placement and does not change afterwards, so bonding done on unwhitened teeth will stand out once you brighten them.
Same material, different scale. Bonding adds resin to part of a tooth: an edge, a corner, one side. A composite veneer covers the entire visible surface. Bonding is quicker and cheaper; veneers change colour and shape more comprehensively.
Anything from one to eight. A single chipped incisor is the most common request. Where several front teeth are worn, treating the upper six or eight together gives a balanced edge line.
Not if it is layered properly. We use separate dentine and enamel shades and build translucency into the edge, then polish to a natural gloss. The most common feedback is that colleagues notice you look well but cannot say why.
Yes. The same cosmetic dentists work at our South Kensington and St Paul’s clinics now, at the same fee. Reviews and polishing can then move to Marylebone from 1 October 2026.
Marylebone, W1
Composite bonding at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you as soon as the Marylebone diary is live. If you would rather start sooner, the same clinicians already see patients in South Kensington and at St Paul’s.
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
Until we open
Need an appointment before 1 October 2026?
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
