Composite bonding and whitening · The Dental Barn, Balsall Common
Chips and gaps rebuilt in one visit.
Composite bonding shapes tooth-coloured resin onto your own teeth: no drilling, usually no injection, one visit. At The Dental Barn it is £400 a tooth, teeth whitening is £400, and the bonding consultation, with a 3D scan of your teeth, is free.
Run by the team behind Designer Smiles in Solihull, rated 4.9 from 132 Google reviews.
In short
What composite bonding is.
Composite bonding is a tooth-coloured resin sculpted onto the front or the edge of a tooth and set hard with a blue light. It closes small gaps, rebuilds chipped corners and worn edges, evens up lengths and covers marks, in one visit, with the tooth underneath left whole. At The Dental Barn it costs £400 a tooth.
Is it right for your teeth?
What bonding fixes, and what it does not.
Bonding adds material to a tooth. That makes it the right answer for anything that is missing, short or uneven, and the wrong answer for anything that needs moving, strengthening or lightening first. The consultation tells you which you have; this list tells you what to expect to hear.
Bonding fixes
- A chipped corner on a front tooth, rebuilt to match its neighbour.
- A small gap between front teeth, closed by widening the teeth either side a fraction.
- Worn or short edges, lengthened so the teeth show when you smile.
- Uneven lengths across the front teeth, brought level.
- A tooth the wrong shape or shade, reshaped and colour-matched to the rest.
- A slight twist or overlap, made to look straight without moving the tooth.
Bonding is not for
- Crowding or larger gaps. Teeth that need moving are moved with Invisalign first; bonding can finish the edges afterwards.
- A heavily broken or root-filled tooth. That needs the strength of a crown, from £332.10.
- Teeth you want whiter all over. Resin does not bleach, so whitening comes first and the bonding is matched to the new shade.
- Heavy grinding without a night guard. Grinding chips bonding; a soft night guard is £150 and protects the work.
How it runs
Four steps, and you see the design before it is made.
- 1
Free consultation
Your dentist looks at the teeth, listens to what you want changed, and scans your teeth in 3D. No putty impressions.
- 2
The design and the price
The scan becomes a design of the new teeth on screen. You see it and change it, and the price for the teeth you choose is written down, before anything touches a tooth.
- 3
The bonding
Each tooth is cleaned and its surface lightly roughened, no drilling. The resin is layered on, shaped, set with the light and polished. Usually about an hour.
- 4
Check and care
A last look at how the teeth meet when you bite, a polish, and the few habits that keep bonding looking new for years.
What it is like
No drilling, usually no injection.
Because the tooth is not cut, most bonding needs no anaesthetic at all: you feel the tooth being cleaned and the resin being shaped, and that is all. You can eat and drink as soon as you leave. For the first few days go easy on anything very hard or crunchy while you get used to the new edges.
Afterwards the bonding is looked after like a tooth: brush, floss, and have it polished at your check-ups. Tea, coffee and red wine stain resin a little faster than enamel over the years, which a polish lifts. Bonding typically lasts five years or more before it wants a polish or a small repair, and a chip in it is repaired in one short visit rather than the whole thing redone.
Teeth whitening
Lighter teeth first, then the bonding.
Whitening here is dentist-strength gel in thin trays made from a scan of your teeth, worn at home for about two weeks, £400 all in. It lightens the enamel itself, several shades, and takes nothing off the tooth. Because resin does not bleach, whitening always comes before bonding, so the new work is matched to the lighter shade. A check-up comes first, so it is done on healthy teeth and gums; some teeth twinge with cold during the course and settle when it ends.
What it costs
Priced by the tooth.
Bonding is charged per tooth, so the total is the per-tooth figure times the teeth you choose to treat. One chipped tooth is one tooth. A full smile line is usually the six, eight or ten teeth that show when you smile. Your consultation ends with the exact figure for your plan, in writing, before you decide anything.
From The Dental Barn fee guide, September 2026.
Bonding, veneers or Invisalign
Three ways to change the front teeth, set side by side.
People arrive asking for one of these and often leave with another, because each does a different job. Here is the honest comparison, so the consultation starts from the right place.
| What happens to the tooth | Visits | How long it lasts | Price here | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composite bonding | Resin added to the surface; nothing drilled away | Consultation, then one visit | Typically five years or more; chips are repaired, not redone | £400 a tooth | Chips, small gaps, worn edges, uneven lengths |
| Porcelain veneers | A thin layer of enamel removed; a porcelain shell bonded on | Two or three | Ten to fifteen years; stain-resistant; not reversible | £800 a tooth | Bigger shape and shade changes that need to last longest |
| Invisalign | Nothing added or removed; the teeth are moved | Check-ins over months | For good, with retainers worn at night | From £999 | Crowding, larger gaps, a bite that is out |
Many smiles use two of the three: Invisalign to move the teeth, then bonding to finish the edges. The 3D design shows the combination before you commit to either.
Who does it
A dentist whose special interest is bonding.
Dr Sarah Lynn · Dr Aadam Binamin, GDC 265535Dr Sarah Lynn’s special interests are composite bonding and Invisalign, with additional qualifications in both, after fifteen years that began as a dental nurse and ran through hygiene, therapy, teaching at Birmingham School of Hygiene and Therapy and qualifying as a dentist in 2010. Dr Aadam Binamin, the practice’s principal dentist, plans smile design on the practice’s 3D scanners. Both are on the General Dental Council register.
Meet the teamQuestions
Asked before people book.
How much does composite bonding cost?
£400 a tooth at The Dental Barn. The total depends only on how many teeth you treat, and the consultation, with the 3D scan, is free and ends with the exact figure for your plan.
How much is a full set of composite bonding?
A full smile line is usually the six, eight or ten upper teeth that show when you smile, sometimes the lower ones too, each at the per-tooth price. Your dentist counts the teeth that need bonding rather than a fixed set.
Can I have bonding on just one or two teeth?
Yes, and it is one of the commonest reasons people come: one chipped front tooth, or two that are shorter than the rest. One tooth is one tooth on the bill.
How long does composite bonding last?
Typically five years or more before it wants a polish or a small repair, and longer with care. Biting nails, pens or ice, and grinding at night, are what shorten it. Because resin is added rather than the tooth cut, a chip in the bonding is repaired in one short visit.
Does it hurt?
No. The tooth is cleaned and lightly roughened, not drilled, so most bonding is done without an injection. If a tooth is sensitive or a small cavity needs treating at the same time, your dentist numbs it first.
Can I go back to my natural teeth afterwards?
Largely, yes. Because the tooth is only cleaned and lightly roughened, bonding can be removed or replaced later and the tooth underneath is still yours. That is the main difference from veneers, where enamel is removed and the tooth always needs covering.
How much is teeth whitening, and how long does it take?
£400, which covers the scan, the custom trays and the gel. Two short visits at the practice, then about two weeks of wearing the trays at home. The result lasts years for most people, with the occasional top-up in the same trays.
Should I whiten before or after bonding?
Before, always. Resin does not change colour, so the bonding is matched to whatever shade your teeth are on the day. Whiten first, wait a fortnight for the shade to settle, then bond.
Can I get bonding or whitening on the NHS?
No. Both are cosmetic, so they are private everywhere in England. Our everyday prices, the check-up, fillings and crowns, are set at the NHS band figures; the fees page has all of them.
Where are you, and how do I book?
The Barn, 4 Fernhill Court, Balsall Street East, Balsall Common, CV7 7FR. Book online, call 01676 611000, or message us on WhatsApp. The bonding consultation is free.
See the design before it is made.
A free consultation with the 3D scan, a design you approve, and the price in writing. Bonding at £400 a tooth, whitening at £400.
Fernhill Court, 4 Balsall Street East, Balsall Common CV7 7FR · [email protected]
Contact Us
Fernhill Court
4 Balsall Street East
Balsall Common
CV7 7FR
