Are you looking for restorative solutions in Grand Rapids that protect your precious smile? Dental crowns and veneers are two of the major solutions that can bolster your teeth’ function and appearance! Like them, Grand Rapids dental implants are another solution that can improve your smile in distinct ways, including overall well-being, aesthetics, alignment, etc. Dental implants, crowns, and veneers can transform your smile’s appearance, and each has pros and cons. As dental restoration processes are pricey, knowing which method is best for your smile is vital. Therefore, a detailed comparison between dental crowns and veneers is shown below.
Dental Veneer: Overview
A veneer covers the front surface of your tooth, which isn’t as invasive as dental crowns since the preparation keeps the real tooth unharmed. Approximately half a millimeter of the enamel on the tooth’s front is ground down to roughen the texture for bonding the veneer. However, some newer types of dental veneers don’t require detailed tooth surface grinding. You might need a local anesthetic since the grinding might be aching. Your tooth should have adequate enamel for a veneer to work precisely.
Dental Crown: Overview
It covers the whole tooth; with a dental crown, more of the tooth must be ground or filed down to get ready for the crown placement. If you have tooth decay, your dental professional will extract the degraded portion of the tooth before preparing the crown. In that case, your tooth might need to be built up to support the crown. Additionally, if your tooth has sustained damage, it might need to be rebuilt. The treatment may involve the use of a local anesthetic.
Significant Differences Between Porcelain Crowns and Porcelain Veneers
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Purpose
Dental veneers are utilized if you’re searching for cosmetic improvement only, such as if you have chipped or broken teeth or intend to change a tooth’s size, shape, and color. Dental crowns, on the other hand, have a functional motive, implying they are used when a tooth is acutely chipped, missing, or broken and requires replacement. However, crowns are used post-dental implant surgery.
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Material
Veneers are made of composite or porcelain, known to be more aesthetically pleasing, durable, and resistant. Moreover, they are less possibly lose their brightness gradually. With adequate care, porcelain veneers usually last 30 years. On the other hand, composite veneers need frequent check-ups so the dental professional can bolster and polish them. However, the primary advantage is that they are more affordable than porcelain veneers.
Dental crowns may also be made of metal-porcelain, porcelain, and zirconium, which can be placed on the visible teeth and molars. Regarding functionality and strength, metal-porcelain caps are used for molars as they are minimally visible while smiling and are relatively more affordable.
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Grinding
Tooth grinding involves minimizing the natural volume of the tooth so that the prosthesis to be kept, be it a crown or veneer, fits appropriately. Grinding the tooth is vital before placing a crown, minimizing it by approximately 2 millimeters. However, this isn’t always required in veneers. Cutting-edge technology has made it possible to prepare thin veneers, such as ultra-thin porcelain veneers, which can be placed sans grinding. Nevertheless, the tooth itself would only be modestly shortened—between 0.3 and 0.7 millimeters—if polished to attach the aesthetic veneer.
Conclusion
Both dental crowns and veneers can strengthen your smile and teeth function, and both are pricey processes, mainly when more than one tooth is concerned. Crowns are used when there is significant decay on the tooth, or it gets broken or demands a root canal. They could be more appropriate when you need to brace adjacent teeth. On the other hand, veneers are used when you desire cosmetic improvement, such as covering chipped or crooked teeth, mainly your front teeth.
