Bonding Packages
The right number of teeth to bond isn't a matter of taste so much as of what people actually see when you smile, laugh and talk. This guide explains how to work it out, and what each of our packages includes.
How Many Teeth Should I Get Composite Bonding On?
Most people who want to change the look of their smile need four to eight upper teeth bonded, depending on how many show when they smile and talk. At Comely Bank Dental in Edinburgh, bonding is £300 per tooth, and our four, six, eight and ten-tooth packages include professional home whitening, which is £450 on its own. A free bonding consultation tells you which number suits your smile.
How Many Teeth Do Most People Need Bonded?
If you want to change the overall look of your smile, the answer is usually four to eight upper teeth. The exact number depends on your smile width: how many teeth show between the corners of your mouth when you smile naturally.
If you're fixing one specific problem, such as a chipped front tooth or a small gap between the two central incisors, one or two teeth may be enough.
The aim is a smile that looks balanced from the front and from the side. If a few treated teeth sit beside untreated ones that are a different shape or shade, the difference can stand out more than the original problem did. That's why we look at your smile in motion before suggesting a number.
What Do People Actually See When You Smile and Talk?
Teeth are seen in three main situations, and each one shows a slightly different set.
- At rest and while talking, people mostly see the biting edges of your upper front teeth, and sometimes your lower front teeth too. Worn or uneven edges are noticeable here even if the rest of your smile is fine.
- In a relaxed smile, most people show six to eight upper teeth, from canine to canine and often the first premolars.
- In a full laugh, many people show ten teeth or more, reaching back towards the cheeks.
You can check this yourself. Stand in front of a mirror, smile as you would in a photo, then laugh properly. Count the teeth you can see on each side. Video calls and candid photos can be revealing too, because they show your smile from angles you don't usually look at.
How Many Teeth Do You Need?
Book a free bonding consultation. We'll look at your smile as you talk and laugh, and recommend the number of teeth that will give a natural, balanced result.
Two Teeth: When Is a Small Repair Enough?
Bonding just one or two teeth works well when the rest of your smile already suits you. Common examples:
- a chip on one front tooth
- a small gap between the two central incisors
- one tooth that's slightly shorter or narrower than its partner
Each tooth is £300, and this isn't a package, so whitening is optional. If you'd like your teeth lighter, whiten first, because the composite is matched to your teeth on the day and won't change colour afterwards.
Four and Six Teeth: The Front of Your Smile
Four teeth covers the two central incisors and the smaller lateral incisors beside them. This suits people with a narrow smile, or when the main issues are in the middle, such as worn edges, small gaps or lateral incisors that are noticeably small.
Six teeth adds the canines, and for many people this is where the smile starts to look complete. The canines sit at the corners and set the visible width of the front of your smile. If the four front teeth are made longer or brighter and the canines aren't, the change can look like a step.
As a rough rule, if your relaxed smile shows six teeth, bonding six gives a more even result than bonding four.
Eight and Ten Teeth: Wider Smiles
Eight teeth takes in the first premolars, the teeth just behind the canines. If you have a broad smile, or you notice dark spaces at the corners of your mouth when you smile, bonding these teeth helps the smile look fuller and more even.
Ten teeth adds the second premolars. It's mainly for people whose smile shows a lot of teeth towards the cheeks, or where those back teeth are a noticeably different shade or shape.
More teeth isn't automatically better. Bonding a tooth that never shows adds cost and future maintenance without any visible benefit, so we'll recommend the smallest number that gives a balanced result.
Why Does Whitening Come First?
Composite bonding is colour matched to your teeth on the day it's placed. Afterwards, whitening gel lightens natural enamel but has no effect on composite. If you whiten later, the bonded teeth will look darker than the ones around them.
So the order is always whitening, then bonding:
- We take a scan or impressions and make custom whitening trays.
- You whiten at home, usually for two to three weeks.
- We wait around two weeks for the colour to settle and for the enamel to be ready to bond to.
- We bond your teeth to match the new shade.
At our Edinburgh practice, professional home whitening on its own is £450. It's included in our packages because it's needed for almost everyone who wants a brighter result.
What's Included in a Bonding Package?
Each package covers the same steps. Only the number of teeth changes.
| Package | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Four teeth with whitening | from £300 per tooth plus whitening at £450 |
| Six teeth with whitening | from £300 per tooth plus whitening at £450 |
| Eight teeth with whitening | from £300 per tooth plus whitening at £450 |
| Ten teeth with whitening | from £300 per tooth plus whitening at £450 |
A package usually includes:
- your free bonding consultation, with photographs and a digital scan where helpful
- custom whitening trays and professional whitening gel
- composite bonding on the agreed teeth, shaped and polished
- a review visit to check your bite and refine the finish
Your written treatment plan confirms exactly what's included and the fee before anything starts. For a breakdown of what affects the total, see our composite bonding page.
What Happens at the Review and Polish Visit?
A short review visit a few weeks after bonding is part of getting a lasting result. By then you'll have had time to eat, talk and get used to your new smile.
At the review we:
- check how your teeth meet when you bite and slide your jaw from side to side, and adjust any high spots
- smooth edges your tongue keeps finding
- polish the composite to a high shine, which helps it resist staining
- talk you through looking after it
After that, a polish at your regular hygiene visit keeps the surface looking its best. If you grind your teeth, we may recommend a night guard to protect the edges.
Seeing Results Before You Decide
Photographs of real results help more than any description. Our smile gallery shows bonding cases with different numbers of teeth, so you can see how four teeth compares with six or eight. Results vary, and your own will depend on the shape, position and colour of your teeth.
At your free consultation at our practice in Comely Bank, Edinburgh, we'll look at your smile together in the mirror and in photographs, and explain where we'd stop and why. If bonding isn't the best option, for example because straightening with Invisalign first would give a better result, we'll say so. You're welcome to take your written plan away and think about it.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.