Bonding was invented in the late 1970's and involves etching a tooth with phosphoric acid to create microscopic pores all over the etched surfaces.  A liquid plastic is then brushed into these pores and the plastic is made to harden using a dental curing light.  Regular dental composite materials can now permanently bond onto this plastic surface.  Bonding is an alternative to veneers that can be used to restore teeth that are discolored, chipped, cracked, or misarranged.

The dentist prepares the tooth for bonding by lightly etching the surface and coating the tooth with a bonding liquid.  Once the liquid has set, then the dentist applies a plastic resin and sculpts it into the desired shape.  When the resin has set, it is trimmed and polished to a natural appearance.