Which Bonding Package?
How a dentist counts the teeth in a smile, exactly which teeth each package includes, what's bundled in with it, and the reason we price a set rather than charging per tooth.
How Many Teeth Need Bonding?
The rule of thumb is to bond every upper tooth on view when you smile properly, so that shape and shade run smoothly from one corner to the other. That usually means six or eight teeth. At our Broughty Ferry practice, four teeth cost £1,550, six are £2,350, eight are £3,150 and ten are £3,950, each with whitening included, or a single tooth is £395.
Start by Counting in the Mirror
Find a mirror in good daylight and smile as you would for a photo on the beach at the Ferry, a proper grin rather than a polite one. Count the upper teeth visible from one corner of your mouth across to the other. That figure is normally the package you need, because when every tooth on show is bonded there's no spot where the new shape gives way to the old.
Some situations change the answer. If one tooth is chipped and the others look fine, a single tooth might be enough. If your lip hides everything behind the canines, six will do even with a wide face. And where the side teeth are tucked in behind the front ones, bonding brings them forward and stops the corners looking dark. A daylight photo sent by WhatsApp lets a dentist tell you which way yours leans.
What's in Each Package, Tooth by Tooth
| Package | Teeth covered | Best for | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | The two centrals plus the two laterals | Chipped corners, a front gap, edges that don't line up | £1,550 |
| 6 | All four incisors and both canines | The teeth most people show when talking | £2,350 |
| 8 | The front six and the first premolars | Wider smiles, brightening the corners | £3,150 |
| 10 | As far back as the second premolars | Broad smiles that reveal many teeth | £3,950 |
The pointed teeth at each corner, the canines, have a big say in how a smile comes across. Lengthen the front four and leave the canines untouched, and they can end up looking stubby and dull next to their neighbours. As standard, packages cover the upper teeth, because those are the ones on display. If the lower front teeth trouble you too, they can be added to the plan.
Can't Tell Where Your Smile Ends?
At a free consultation Dr Sharma counts the teeth with you and puts a fixed fee in writing.
The Logic of Pricing by the Set
A four-tooth package is cheaper than four teeth done individually: £1,550 compared with £1,580, before you even count the whitening included in the package. There's a practical reason. Building the teeth in a single sitting means identical shades under identical lighting, with every tooth sculpted to mirror the one across from it, so the whole set hangs together.
Bonding one tooth this year and its neighbour next year is possible, but matching them exactly is harder. Composite goes on by hand in layers of several shades, and two separate sessions never come out identical. If more teeth might be on the cards later, mention it at the outset and we'll shape the first ones so later additions blend in.
Included with Every Package
- A consultation with Dr Nikhil Sharma at no charge (a £40 deposit at booking, refunded within 7 days of your visit)
- Photographs and a shade assessment, and for the bigger packages a digital smile design with a trial smile
- Boutique home whitening in custom trays, which costs £350 bought separately
- The bonding itself, layered by hand on the day
- A review roughly two weeks on to check how you bite together
- A final polish
- A fixed written fee before any work begins
Edge bonding across a package usually needs just one appointment. Composite veneers on a full set might need one long visit or a pair of shorter ones. Every price is listed on our fees page.
Whiten First, Bond Second
Composite stays the colour it was made, so if you'd like brighter teeth the whitening comes first and the bonding is matched to the result. The trays are worn for a short period each day across two to three weeks, and then we allow around a fortnight for the shade to stabilise and the enamel to recover before bonding goes ahead.
A shade like B1, bright yet natural, is where most people end up. Some go brighter still, others prefer something gentler and more in keeping with their age. It's entirely your decision, and we'll show you the options on photos of your own teeth. The timing is explained in our guide to whitening before bonding.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.