Choosing a Bonding Set
How a dentist counts the teeth on show, which teeth each set takes in, what you get with every package, and why bonding is priced by the set instead of tooth by tooth.
How Many Teeth Should I Have Bonded?
Usually every upper tooth you show in a broad, relaxed smile, so the shape and shade flow evenly across. For most people that works out at six or eight teeth. At our Lanark practice a set of four is £1,550, six is £2,350, eight is £3,150 and ten is £3,950, each with whitening included, while a single tooth by itself is £395.
Start by Counting in the Mirror
In good daylight, face a mirror and give the smile you'd give in a photo with people you like, not a guarded one. Count every upper tooth on show from one corner to the other. That figure is usually your package, because when every visible tooth is bonded there's nowhere for new shape to sit beside old.
Some details shift the count. One chipped tooth among otherwise sound ones may only need single-tooth bonding. If your upper lip hides everything behind the canines, six teeth is enough, however wide your face. And where the side teeth sit further in than the front ones, building them out can widen the smile and stop the corners looking shadowy. WhatsApp us a daylight photo and one of our dentists will tell you which count your smile points to.
Which Teeth Each Package Includes
| Set | Teeth | Good for | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four | Both upper central incisors and both laterals | Chips, a gap at the front, uneven edges | £1,550 |
| Six | All four incisors and the two canines | The teeth most people show as they talk | £2,350 |
| Eight | The front six and both first premolars | Wider smiles and shadowy corners | £3,150 |
| Ten | Everything back to the second premolars | Broad smiles that show many teeth | £3,950 |
The canines, the pointed teeth at the corners, have a big effect on how a smile looks. If the front four are lengthened and the canines are left untouched, the canines can look stubby and dull beside them. Sets are planned for the upper teeth as standard, because those are the ones people see, but lower front teeth can be added to your plan if they bother you.
Unsure How Wide Your Smile Goes?
At a free consultation your dentist will count the teeth with you and put a fixed fee in writing.
Why Sets Cost Less per Tooth
Bonding four teeth as a set costs £1,550, compared with £1,580 for four single teeth, and the set includes whitening on top. There's a practical reason for that. Bonding teeth in one appointment means one set of shades under one light, with each tooth shaped to mirror its partner, so they come out matching.
You can have one tooth now and another next year, but an exact match is harder. Composite is built up by hand from several shades, and no two appointments turn out identical. If you expect to add teeth later, say so at the beginning and the shape will be designed so later teeth blend in.
Included in Every Package
- A free consultation with the dentist planning your treatment (a £20 deposit to book, refunded within 7 days of the visit)
- Photographs and shade matching, plus a digital smile design and trial smile for larger cases
- Boutique whitening at home with made-to-measure trays, which costs £350 by itself
- Hand-layered composite bonding on the day
- A review about two weeks on to see how your teeth meet
- A finishing polish
- A written, fixed fee agreed before treatment begins
Edge bonding within a package normally takes a single appointment. A full set of composite veneers may be done in one long visit or two shorter ones. All our prices are listed on the fees page.
Whitening First, Bonding Second
Composite keeps the colour it's made in. If you'd like lighter teeth, whitening happens first and the bonding is then matched to your new shade. You wear the trays for a short time daily over two to three weeks, and then we leave roughly a fortnight so the colour can settle and the enamel can recover before bonding.
Many people settle on a bright but natural shade such as B1. Some go lighter; others choose a softer tone that suits their age. The choice is yours, and we can show you the options on photographs of your own smile. Our guide to whitening before bonding covers the timing in more detail.
Paying for Your Package: A Fixed Fee
The fee in writing is the fee you pay, and payment is due as treatment progresses. If something unforeseen turns up, such as a little decay under an old filling, we'll explain it and agree any change with you before going ahead.
The dental plan discount doesn't cover packages, so members and non-members pay alike. Members do get 10% off most other private treatment, so a filling needed before the bonding costs them less.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.