Veneers vs. Cosmetic Crowns: Which One Do You Need?

If you’re looking for procedures to improve the appearance of your teeth and want a more dramatic change, you’ve likely come across two very popular ways to achieve it: veneers and cosmetic crowns.

These two procedures are extremely different and can have different effects on your teeth. Understanding each of them is essential to making an informed decision that will both give you the look you want, and promote long-term dental health.

So if you’re interested in veneers or cosmetic crowns, this short blog post can help you see which one might be more suitable for you.

What Are Veneers?

Veneers are a very thin layer of usually porcelain dental prosthetics that get bonded to the surface of your natural teeth. To allow them to bond properly, the dentist will shave a bit of the tooth enamel to create a rough surface texture, which will help keep the veneers in place for years to come.

Because of the procedure, veneers are considered permanent. You will not be able to return to your natural smile, although there are also no-prep veneers available that are so thin they require no or very little enamel shaving.

Veneers are a common way to address several dental cosmetic concerns:

  • Severely stained teeth
  • Tooth discoloration
  • Gaps between teeth
  • Irregularities in teeth shape, etc.

What Are Cosmetic Crowns?

Cosmetic crowns are essentially dental crowns - another form of dental prosthetics but unlike veneers, crowns will cover the entire tooth. They are usually necessary to restore a natural tooth’s look and function as a result of damages, such as because of a tooth fracture or a root canal where much of the tooth’s pulp needed to be removed.

Though dental crowns can address a cosmetic issue, they are commonly used as a dental restorative method to address specific dental damage.

Which One Do You Need?

To answer this question, it’s necessary to understand the exact cosmetic issues you are dealing with and your oral health.

For example, if you have generally healthy teeth but are trying to improve their appearance, your dentist will most likely recommend getting veneers, or even other less invasive procedures such as whitening and dental bonding. 

Dental crowns might be necessary if you also suffered damage to the tooth. Although, if you’ve been on social media recently, you might beg to differ. You should know that in order to get a crown, the dentist must file down the natural tooth and drastically change its shape and size. This is not recommended on healthy teeth because the more you shave the tooth, the closer you get to the nerve.

If you’re still not sure which procedure is for you, we at Woburn Dental Associates would be happy to help you with expert advice designed to give you the look you want, and the dental health you need.

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