Your smile suffers when you have crooked teeth, tooth discoloration, chipped teeth, cavities, or cracked teeth, making socializing difficult. Also, normal teeth functions, such as eating, become a problem. Thankfully, you can fix these problems through dentistry, preserving the functionality and appearance of your teeth.
Veneers and tooth crowns are popular dental treatments for fixing these oral concerns. Both procedures enhance your smile and teeth functionality, although your dentist will recommend one of the treatments over the other based on your circumstances. If your dentist suggests veneers for your teeth, they should explain why the restorations are chosen over dental crowns.
Dental Veneers
Veneers are cosmetic dentistry restorations composed of thin porcelain or composite resin layers applied to the anterior or face of teeth. They hide imperfections and improve your smile, restoring the tooth’s natural appearance. Apart from improving teeth appearance, veneers strengthen the tooth. These restorations, especially porcelain veneers, which are translucent, resemble the color of your original teeth, something many cosmetic dental procedures cannot achieve.
Similarly, veneers stand out because the process of applying them is minimally invasive. Only minor adjustments are made to the teeth’ shape, size, or height, helping you maintain your natural tooth structure.
Veneer Application Process
The process of placing veneers depends on your material choice. With porcelain veneers, the process begins with tooth preparation. The dentist only extracts a small portion of the enamel for efficient veneer application. The tooth surface is only removed on the anterior to enable it to receive the veneer efficiently and ensure the restoration fits perfectly. Nevertheless, even with the process being the least invasive, you could experience some discomfort during enamel removal, so your dentist will administer local anesthesia.
The next phase of porcelain veneer placement involves making a mold of your teeth, which then goes to a lab for the fabrication of permanent veneers. Depending on the number of cases like yours the dentist is handling, it could take a few weeks for the permanent restorations to be ready. During this waiting period, you will require temporary veneers to protect the prepped teeth from chipping and cracking.
You do not need to wait for weeks before the permanent veneers. When looking for a dentist, you can choose one that has invested in modern technology and can fabricate permanent veneers in-house. That way, the permanent restorations will be ready within a short time, eliminating the need to wear the temporary restorations for a long time. You should know that even with technology, veneers must go through the gestation period, which can take weeks. Therefore, you will require a second visit to the dentist even where there is modern technology.
The procedure for applying composite veneers is different because no enamel removal is involved. Dentists encourage teenagers to opt for these veneers, as they are temporary and adjustable. Also, because there is no enamel removal, the procedure is reversible. Again, composite material is best when you are an adult and want to retain the natural structure of your enamel.
With composite, you only require a single visit to the dentist, where they bond or cement the material directly to the prepared teeth. A UV light is then used to harden the cement, after which the dentist uses a special drill to reshape the tooth to the desired size.
Other veneer materials you can choose for veneers include palatal and lumineers.
Dental Crowns
Otherwise called tooth caps, crowns are restorations that cover the whole tooth enamel to protect it from infection and preserve functionality by strengthening it. These restorations restore your tooth’s natural structure, shape, and height. So, when you suffer from decayed teeth, fractured teeth, chipped teeth, discolored teeth, misshapen teeth, want to encase an implant, or reinforce a dental bridge or root canal, you should consider crowns.
Dental Crown Placement Procedure
Dentists take a bespoke approach when placing crowns. Patient needs differ, and the placement steps for patients cannot be the same. Before scheduling you for dental caps, your dentist must first evaluate the condition of your teeth. The evaluation is necessary to help determine the most appropriate procedure based on your oral condition.
Before attaching crowns to your teeth, the dental expert will conduct an X-ray to establish the extent of tooth damage. If you have a weak jawbone or oral infection, these problems will require addressing before fighting the caps. After treating the main dental problem, your dentist can then move forward to the next phase of treatment, which is making an impression or mold of your teeth to be used as a blueprint for permanent crown fabrication. The blueprint ensures the crowns fit correctly based on the shape, breadth, and length of your teeth.
If you are considering crowns, you should know that the procedure is highly invasive. Therefore, when your goal is to preserve the tooth structure, you should consider other treatments. Here, tooth enamel reshaping involves the removal of a significant part of the tooth surface. After reshaping, the tooth is left susceptible to breakage. Therefore, before the final crowns, you will wear interim caps to protect the teeth from damage.
Once the permanent restorations are ready, your dentist will arrange a second meeting. During this visit, they will remove the interim crowns and place the permanent ones. The dental professional will adjust the crowns to attain a perfect fit, after which they will cement them.
Recovery and AfterCare
The way you care for the veneers or crowns and how you handle recovery determine their durability. Therefore, before exiting your dentist’s office, you will have post-procedure instructions that will help you with healing and aftercare.
Because caps and veneers cover the flaws in your mouth and protect the enamel, you should not abandon healthy dental hygiene practices. You should care for your teeth through good dental hygiene habits and avoid hard substances that could break the restorations.
Composite crowns or veneers are susceptible to staining and discoloration. Therefore, when you take substances that expose the restorations to staining, like coffee, you must brush your teeth. However, you can eliminate the risk of staining or discoloration by choosing porcelain material for your tooth caps or veneers, as these are stain-resistant.
Benefits of Dental Veneers Over Tooth Caps
Tooth caps and veneers have the same cosmetic role of covering tooth flaws. Both procedures offer several benefits and give you a flawless smile. However, you should choose veneers over caps because of the following benefits:
Conservative Treatment
Veneers are deemed to be more conservative than crowns. The reason is that less enamel is extracted during tooth preparation than during tooth reshaping for a crown. Your dentist only extracts a tiny layer of enamel from the anterior or face of the affected tooth. No enamel is extracted from the posterior or core of the tooth, leaving it with minimal or no structural changes.
Therefore, veneers are recommended when you want to preserve the integrity and natural appearance of your teeth to avoid future complications.
Conversely, when you choose crowns, the entire tooth, including the sides, posterior, and anterior, undergoes significant reshaping. The significant enamel removal affects the tooth’s structural integrity, exposing it to fracture or breakage in the future. With weak tooth enamel, you risk developing more severe oral conditions, hence undergoing additional treatments.
Veneers are also conservative because the minimal enamel extraction means you will not require local anesthesia in some situations. Even though anesthesia numbs the section of the tooth being prepped, keeping you comfortable throughout the procedure, it poses a risk, particularly in the event of an allergic reaction. So, any treatment that is less invasive and does not require the use of anesthesia lowers the risks of complications.
With crowns, substantial portions of the enamel are extracted, exposing you to the risk of nerve or soft tissue damage. However, when you go for veneers, the tooth surface extraction is minimal and only happens on the front tooth surface. This means you are less exposed to risks of nerve damage, giving you a comfortable experience.
Veneers are Suitable for Fixing Small Oral Concerns
Your smile creates the first impression when it comes to socializing. Even minor oral problems like discoloration, chips, misshaped, stained, or broken teeth can make you self-conscious about your smile. Veneers are entirely cosmetic, and they conceal these flaws that impair your smile. Porcelain and composite materials used to fabricate veneers all resemble natural teeth and hence blend effortlessly, giving the dream smile.
Even when dealing with minor flaws like gaps in the mouth or misalignment, you can rely on veneers to hide the flaws, giving you a uniform and beautiful smile.
Also, when you want to enhance your teeth’s appearance without consulting an orthodontist for metal braces, you should go for veneers.
Therefore, if the flaws in your mouth are superficial and the tooth structure is still intact, you should go for veneers. However, when major flaws are involved, and the tooth’s structure is compromised, your dentist will recommend crowns.
Veneers are Affordable
Dental restoration treatments are costly, but veneers are cheaper than crowns. Therefore, if price is one of your primary considerations when planning to enhance the appearance of your smile, you should go for veneers over crowns. The price of veneers averages $975 to $2,500 per tooth, while crowns cost $1,000 to $3500 per tooth.
So, when your objective is to fix superficial damages without incurring hefty amounts, you should go for veneers. Also, veneers are pocket-friendly because you rarely require additional treatments before placing the final restoration. The restorations are only applied to the face of the tooth, eliminating the need for extra procedures.
However, crowns incur additional costs because if the tooth’s structure is compromised, additional treatments, like a root canal, will be needed before the final restorations are placed.
You should know that veneers are purely cosmetic, meaning that your health insurer will not provide coverage for the procedure. Therefore, even though the procedure is affordable, you will pay out of pocket. Nevertheless, do not let the lack of coverage discourage you from the procedure. Consult with your dentist for a flexible financing plan that will enable you to afford the treatment.
Before deciding on treatment, consult your dental expert about your budget and preferred procedure to make an informed decision.
Veneers are More Pleasing to the Eye in the Future
Both veneers and dental crowns restore the beauty of your smile. However, veneers are more attractive than crowns because they do not reveal the gum line. Also, the porcelain material used in veneers is highly resistant to staining. Therefore, the restorations maintain the natural appearance of your teeth for decades.
If you seek a restorative procedure that is consistent, appealing, and reliable, you should choose veneers.
In contrast, dental crowns, particularly those made of metal-fused porcelain, expose the gumline and experience color change after some years, creating a difference between the false teeth and the adjacent natural teeth.
Veneers Offer Immediate Results
When you want an instant smile change, you should go for veneers. They deliver instant results that everyone you interact with will notice.
Composite veneers will offer you immediate results because the treatment is completed in a single visit. With porcelain veneers, you will require a second appointment for the final restorations. Even though you will wait longer for the results from porcelain veneers, they will be prompt and noticeable. You can even reduce the waiting period for porcelain veneers by partnering with a cosmetic dentistry service that has invested in modern technology and labs capable of fabricating the restorations in-house.
Veneers Cause Less Sensitivity
One of the primary benefits of veneers over dental crowns is that they are associated with less sensitivity as the procedure is minimally invasive. The dentist only trims a small portion of the underlying tooth’s enamel, meaning you are less likely to experience sensitivity than someone who undergoes reshaping for crowns, where significant trimming happens. So, when your concern about tooth restoration is sensitivity after reshaping, you should consider veneers.
After a veneer procedure, you will feel more comfortable and resume your diet routine sooner than the individual who underwent reshaping for dental crowns.
Veneers Have Little to No Movement
When perfectly applied, veneers have no movement, giving you a secure and stable restoration. You will not have to encounter bite issues because of shifting veneers. The stability also enables these restorations to integrate perfectly with the natural teeth.
Find a Competent Dentist Near Me
If you are concerned that superficial dental problems are impairing your smile and confidence, you should ask your dentist about undergoing a veneer procedure. Call 310-860-9311 to schedule an appointment in Beverly Hills with Dr Joseph Goodman. Our dentists will explain the treatment and the reasons you should choose it over crowns for your damaged teeth.
