Not everyone can always maintain the perfect pearly white teeth. At times, your tooth may be chipped, discolored, broken, or missing. When this happens, you need to look for ways to bring back the beauty of your smile. Not only that it completes your set, but it also helps to boost your self-confidence.
There are plenty of ways you can restore your smile’s beauty. But one of the best results is between a dental crown and a veneer. You can click here to find out more. Dental crowns and veneers are cosmetic dental treatments that enhance your smile. While both can help improve your smile, they address different dental issues.
Choosing between dental crowns and veneers depends on the damage to your teeth. To help you decide, the guide below will define their purpose, pros and cons, cost, and more.
What Are Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns are dental restorations that fit over a damaged or decayed tooth. It helps to restore the tooth’s shape, size, strength, and appearance. Dental crowns often use materials such as porcelain, metal, or both. They’re custom-made to fit over the prepared tooth.
Dental crowns provide overall protection to a tooth. It covers all sides of the tooth, including the sides and back. That way, they can provide maximum coverage and not just improve the tooth’s appearance.
Below are some pros and cons of what a dental crown can bring:
The Pros
There are plenty of reasons why people prefer dental crowns for their teeth. To help you understand, here are the benefits of dental crowns to improve your tooth’s health:
- It Can Replace Damaged Tooth
A damaged tooth can cause you to lose confidence in your smile. While you can extract your broken tooth, providing a cover-up is best. Removing your tooth can cause your entire set to move, resulting in crooked teeth. A dental crown can help to replace your damaged tooth and give off an appearance of healthy and pearly whites. That way, you no longer must extract your tooth but instead add a protective film around it.
- It Helps Reshape Your Teeth
Not all teeth grow in perfect shape. Some might look wider, narrower, or chipped. Hence, to improve the appearance of your teeth, a dental crown can help. You can reshape your tooth and bring it to an appropriate shape with a dental crown. Your dentist would have to file your teeth to give way for your dental crown. With a few tweaks, you can have a perfectly shaped tooth.
- Restore Cracked or Chipped Tooth
There are instances where a tooth might get cracked or chipped from an accident or poor care. When that happens, it can affect the overall appearance of one’s smile. While some can live with that, some can lose self-confidence if they have a visibly damaged tooth. With dental crowns, you can hide the imperfections away. You can have the illusion of a perfect smile when in reality, there’s a crack or chip underneath.
- Protect Tooth After Root Canal
A back tooth experiences more pressure from chewing food. You can expect further cracks and damage if a back tooth has gone through a root canal. It’s ideal for placing dental crowns on the affected tooth for long-term protection. That way, you can continue to chew without worrying about damaging your back tooth.
- Protects Tooth From Further Damage
If you notice that your tooth is starting to be more prone to damage, you can cover it up with a dental crown. A dental crown can protect your tooth from further damage and keep it in its best shape. That way, you don’t have to worry about your teeth worsening or affecting your smile’s appearance.
The Cons
Of course, there are some drawbacks that a dental crown brings to the table. Knowing those will help you decide if they’re still your best choice. Furthermore, listed below are the cons of having dental crowns:
- It May Increase Sensitivity To Extreme Temperatures
Your dentist would have to scrape a layer of your teeth to give space for your dental crowns. It can cause your teeth to be more sensitive to extreme temperatures. Depending on what you’re eating or drinking, it can make you feel uncomfortable with heat and cold. If you like to consume extreme temperatures, a dental crown might not be your best choice. Unless, of course, you’re willing to avoid them in your meals altogether.
- It Requires Minor Tooth Reduction
As mentioned earlier, your dentist must reduce the teeth size for the dental crown. During this process, your teeth will be at least 50% smaller, making your natural teeth look odd. But since the dental crown will cover it up, no one will notice a thing. But if you’re uncomfortable with reducing your natural tooth, dental crowns might not be a good fit.
- It Does Not Completely Eliminate Cavities
Yes, even with dental crowns, your teeth can still develop cavities. If the neighboring teeth are natural, they can still get damaged from poor oral health. There might be food particles between your teeth advancing to bacteria and cavities. With that in mind, know that you must practice good oral health to keep your natural teeth healthy.
- Your Teeth Can Still Get Broken
Even if dental crowns are durable, they can still get broken from improper care. Dental crowns usually use porcelain. They can break, chip, or crack if involved in high pressure or an accident. With that, you need to provide extra protection to keep them strong. You can wear a mouth guard in your sleep if you grind your teeth.
How Long Does It Take?
Your dentist might need 50 to 90 minutes to prepare your tooth. They’ll measure your actual teeth, provide necessary treatments, and perform reshaping. However, you must wait two to three weeks before your dental crown installation. You must wait until the lab finishes its production before having it inside your mouth. Your dentist will provide you with a temporary crown to protect your teeth as you wait.
What Are Veneers?
Dental veneers are thin, custom-made shells that sit on the front surface of teeth. They are typically made of porcelain or composite resin. It can correct dental issues like discolored, chipped, or misshapen teeth. Knowing the pros and cons will help you decide if veneers are perfect.
The Pros
There’s a good reason why plenty of people prefer dental veneers. Furthermore, below is a list of benefits associated with dental veneers, which can help you attain the ideal, radiant smile:
- It Is Resistant To Stains
One of the most significant benefits of veneers is their resistance to stains. With veneers, you no longer have to worry whenever you drink coffee or wine. They won’t leave color and keep your smile white and fresh.
- It Looks More Natural
The primary purpose of dental veneers is to provide aesthetics to your smile. They focus on giving you a whiter tooth and a more polished smile. Since veneer uses porcelain, it gives a more natural and subtle look. People wouldn’t even notice that they’re veneers unless they take a close look at them. Veneers would be the perfect option to quickly improve your teeth’ natural appearance.
- It Is Durable
Veneers can last up to 15 years with proper care and maintenance. To maintain them, you must avoid putting unnecessary pressure on your teeth. It includes not chewing gnarly foods, grinding teeth, and smoking. With its long lifespan, you can have a beautiful smile lasting decades. You can just drive by your dentist and ask for a replacement once you see any damage to its surface.
- It Doesn’t Require Shaping
Veneers are relatively thinner than dental crowns. That means you don’t have to go through extensive tooth shaping just to fit them into your mouth. At most, your dentist will only remove a thin layer of your enamel and let your veneers sit comfortably. Some ultra-thin veneers don’t require any reshaping at all. It means you can leave your natural teeth as they are and still achieve a beautiful smile with veneers.
The Cons
Unfortunately, there is no perfect solution for cosmetic dental procedures. Like any other process, some drawbacks come with dental veneers. Knowing those will help you decide if they’re still worth it.
Below are the disadvantages of dental veneers:
- Your Teeth Could Still Be Prone To Damage
Porcelain isn’t diamond. They’ll break if you put too much pressure on them. Like its pros, veneers are durable but prone to chips and damage. So, you shouldn’t use your teeth to tear something apart. It could be a bag of chips or plastic packaging. Only use your teeth to chew food and nothing else. Although it has a 15-year lifespan, you must maintain it well.
- It Is Permanent
Dental veneers are permanent. The reason why it’s a disadvantage is that it means that there’s no going back. There’s no way for you to undo veneers as you must live with them for the rest of your life. You need to return for replacement and provide proper care until you can. With that, you need to decide if it’s something you can live with or if the commitment it requires is too much for you.
- It May Increase Sensitivity
If your veneers need reshaping, you might experience increased tooth sensitivity. Since you’re exposing a thin layer of your enamel, they can react to temperatures quicker. It might mean you must stay away from cold or warm food and beverages. Alternatively, you can try to chew them on the opposite side of your mouth, but it can require extra effort.
- It May Not Be Suitable For Everyone
As impressive as dental veneers sound, not everyone is a perfect candidate for the procedure. There are scenarios wherein veneers aren’t a safe option for someone’s oral health. It could be there’s too much damage, tooth decay, or periodontal disease. Your dentist may provide you with an alternative solution when any issues arise. Before deciding which option would work best for you, you must consult your dentist first. They can assess your teeth and see if you’re a good candidate for veneers or crowns.
How Long Does It Take?
The process of getting veneers involves several steps. It includes preparing the teeth, removing a small amount of enamel, taking impressions of the teeth, and bonding the veneers onto the teeth.
Once the veneers are in place, they can give the teeth a more natural and pleasing appearance. It also provides some protection against further damage. Like dental crowns, the entire process can take up to three weeks. It includes waiting for the veneers from the lab.
What Are Their Cost Differences?
Dental crowns and veneers have a similar price point. The only way a crown would be more expensive is because it provides overall protection to your teeth. They don’t just go over your front tooth’s surface but also on the sides and back. Dental crowns can be more expensive on the back tooth as they’re larger. But if you focus on aesthetics, you won’t need veneers, as people won’t see them from your smile. You can just place your veneers on your front teeth.
The cost of your crowns or veneers also depends on the material you’ll use. A metal crown is cheaper but doesn’t give off a natural look. In contrast, porcelain can provide the illusion of the actual tooth. It’ll almost be invincible and act as if they’re part of your set. You can also use porcelain for your veneers. They provide the same look but are more expensive than the other option. The composite resin will be better if you want a cheaper alternative. However, the resin is less durable and might not give off a natural look. The resin is thicker, making it a bit harder to provide the typical characteristics of an actual tooth, hence, its lower cost.
Which Is Right For You?
Choosing the procedure that is best for you can be tricky. To summarize, dental crowns provide better protection for your teeth. They can cover and protect your entire tooth’s surface from further damage. However, dental crowns require invasive reshaping, which can be uncomfortable. But if you’re experiencing tooth concerns, a dental crown can be a great solution. With crowns, you can stop the damage from spreading while giving yourself a beautiful smile.
On the contrary, veneers are the perfect choice if you focus on your tooth’s aesthetics. With veneers, you can achieve the ideal smile without discoloration and chips. They can hide any tooth imperfections and give you a beautiful smile.
Your decision depends on your oral concerns. Do you need to provide protection and treatment to your teeth, or do you just want a beautiful smile? To make the right decision, you must visit your dentist and ask for a consultation. Let them give you your dental options and see if you’re a good candidate for a crown or veneer. As you know the pros and cons of each, choosing your procedure should be quick and easy.
