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A dental crown, otherwise known as a dental cap, covers the entire tooth, offering protection against damage. A veneer is a thin, translucent slice of porcelain that covers only the front of your damaged tooth, offering aesthetic relief only. You’ll get a great smile but no functionality if you opt for veneers; you’ll get a great smile and chewing functionality if you opt for crowns.
Both porcelain veneers and crowns have been designed to tackle specific issues with one’s teeth. Understanding the differences between these two can help you choose the right fix for your problem. Study your needs carefully and understand what either option offers you. (See also: Cosmetic Dentistry Power Tips On How To Improve Your Dental and Oral Health)
Reasons To Choose A Veneer
An unattractive smile has a story of chipped, cracked or badly stained teeth. Without all the chips and stains, the smile would otherwise be quite pleasant. In such cases, veneers just cover the imperfections and show off a bright, brilliant smile. This is possible only if the inherent structure of the teeth are sound, and only the surface is maligned.
Reasons To Choose Crowns
If you have badly cracked and chipped teeth that are not only inhibiting your smile but also your teeth’s function, you can opt for crowns. Using crowns, you can even get crooked and misaligned teeth straightened.
Veneers versus Crowns
For several years now, crowns have been the mainstay of cosmetic dentistry. However, more and more dentists are choosing veneers to tackle specific dental conditions. Here are several advantages and disadvantages of veneers, followed by the same for crowns.
- Veneers – Advantages and Disadvantages:
Veneers allow you to fully transform your smile, without having to undergo tooth restructure. You can even avoid braces if your misalignment is very minor. A tiny layer of dental enamel is removed when the veneer is placed, versus modifying the whole of the tooth to make way for the veneer as is the case with crowns. Here are several other advantages of using veneers:
- Crowns require a certain amount of tooth restructuring; a veneer doesn’t need much prior work and can be placed as is.
- Veneers are made to match your teeth’s exact color, as they are made of porcelain to closely resemble tooth enamel.
- Veneers are used for several cosmetic uses and are therefore extremely versatile. Minor dental issues are now treated with veneers and not with crowns as was the practice earlier. Veneers are used to take care of small gaps, badly-stained teeth, chipped and cracked teeth, minor misalignment and dental asymmetry.
- Crowns – Advantages and Disadvantages:
If your tooth or multiple teeth have undergone major damage as happens during a fall or an accident, a dental crown or crowns might be the better option. It is necessary to cap a tooth with a dental crown if a tooth is severely cracked or as a means to protect a root-canalled tooth. In such cases, a dental crown will maintain the intactness of the tooth and prevent the occurrence of further direct damage to the tooth. If a chipped, cracked or broken tooth is left intact, further damage can result in extraction which will again impact the jawline and overall dental alignment. By using a dental crown, you can avoid all these exigencies while enjoying a bright and even smile. Here are several advantages of using dental crowns:
- Crowns are thicker than veneers. Owing to this reason, they offer greater protection to damaged teeth.
- A dental crown is at least 2 millimeters thick. That much of enamel and tooth has to be reduced just to fit the crown. Sometimes, for various reasons, a dentist could opt to remove, even more, reducing the tooth to no more than a nub.
- The advantage to removing all damaged parts is that the tooth cannot suffer further damage. All the brittle parts are removed before the crown is affixed.
- When a crown is cemented, it becomes the outer surface of the tooth. Due to this fact, dentists match the color of the crown exactly to the color of the original tooth, which is possible with fine porcelain crowns.
Conclusion
Both dental crowns and porcelain veneers are long-term, sometimes lifelong commitments. Be sure to keep your teeth clean with regular brushing and flossing and you can keep your veneers and crowns healthy for a lifetime. Since both crowns and veneers are made of porcelain, you’ll find that your teeth are now resistant to stains. However, over time, natural properties can cause even porcelain to collect stains, so rigorous brushing and flossing are advised. In conclusion, if you’re still not sure, opt for veneers if you’re looking for a cosmetic restoration and opt for crowns if you need to protect damaged teeth and also fix your bite and grinding function.
About The Author:
Sandy is Dental Hygienist at PlatinumDentalCareMI.com, one of the leading family dental care providers in Livonia, Michigan.
