When you want to restore your long-lost flawless smile and confidence, veneers, and crowns are some of the standard options you will consider. While both dental restorations will fix visual impairments in the teeth, like gaps and discoloration, they possess unique characteristics that help address different dental concerns. If you wish to choose the right restoration for yourself, the differences between dental crowns and veneers and their advantages and downsides are highlighted below.
Dental Crowns Definition
A crown or dental cap is a fixed prosthetic that resembles the top half of your natural teeth. It covers broken, chipped, fractured, or cracked teeth to fix facial impairments and enhance functionality. Crowns cover the entire tooth, unlike veneers that cover the front surface, thus restoring the shape, size, and height of your teeth.
Dental patients often fail to see the need to see a dentist before a dental procedure, leading to confusion and unrealistic expectations. Therefore, avoid these issues by speaking to your dentist about the crown procedure and the expectations.
Typically, your dentist will recommend crowns for the following reasons:
- You have a sizeable dental cavity that a filling procedure cannot fix
- You need to cover your dental implants
- You have cracked, spaced, chipped, or weak teeth
- You need to replace a dental filling
- You are experiencing tooth decay, cavities or caries
- You have undergone a root canal procedure, and the dentist recommends dental caps to safeguard the teeth
- You have discolored or misshapen teeth
Crowns Application
Receiving dental caps is a simple procedure, but a competent dentist is required for the treatment to be successful. Placing crowns involves several steps.
First, you must visit your dentist for a diagnostic evaluation. The dentist must first evaluate the condition of your teeth and gums to determine the extent of tooth damage or decay and decide on the appropriate structural development.
Once the dentist decides you are a crown candidate, you will require two appointments to complete the treatment. During the first appointment, your dentist will prepare the affected teeth by removing part of the enamel to reshape and prepare it for the dental cap. Even though reshaping the tooth is irreversible, it is essential because it helps remove the decayed or infected sections of the teeth and ensures the remaining enamel is secure to anchor the dental cap. When the dentist feels there is a need to strengthen the remaining tooth structure after reshaping, they will add building material at the tooth's base to ensure the cap has proper anchorage.
After preparations, the next step is to take an impression of the teeth to provide a model to the dental lab technicians for fabricating crowns. The impression must be made to capture all contours for crown fabrication.
While you await the fabrication of the permanent dental caps, your dentist will place temporary crowns to protect the reshaped teeth. Temporary restorations are also necessary to maintain the tooth spacing and alignment in the arch until the permanent restorations are ready for placement. Typically, you must wait two weeks for the tailor-made restorations to be available, explaining the need for interim restorations. Without the interim crowns, you will experience tooth sensitivity, making it challenging to go about your routines.
The culmination of dental crown placement is permanently bonding the crowns to the reshaped teeth once they arrive at your dentist’s clinic. When you come for the second appointment, your dentist will place the caps on the reshaped teeth and ensure they are a perfect fit and align with your dental arch. They will then bond the crowns to the teeth using special cement, and the application process will be complete.
Dental Veneers Overview
Veneers are extremely thin porcelain or composite shells placed on the tooth’s front surface to recreate its original appearance. They also add strength and resilience to the tooth surface. The primary objective of the treatment is for the veneer to resemble the original tooth color, concealing facial impairments like discoloration, spacing, and shape irregularities.
Veneers have multiple uses, but consulting with a skilled dentist before the treatment is crucial for guidance and impeccable outcomes. Veneers camouflage various flaws in your smile, hide tooth damage, and fix multiple dental concerns that impair the look of your teeth. Some candidates prefer to have one veneer placed to cover a flawed tooth, while others opt for six or eight veneers for asymmetric reasons. Veneers are generally applied to the front teeth, visible through the mouth.
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Dental Veneers Purposes
Not everyone is qualified for veneers. Therefore, when considering the procedure, you should consult your dental expert for an evaluation and candidacy determination. Dentists use veneers to fix various dental concerns, from the common ones to those that are difficult to treat. Some of the reasons you could seek veneer treatment include:
- Misshapen teeth
- Chipped and fractured teeth
- stained, dark, or yellow teeth
Your dental professional will recommend veneers to fix unsightly, washed-out, or stained dental fillings. Again, if you have abnormal spaces between your teeth or uneven teeth length or shape, veneers can help fix the issue. Generally, veneers are suitable for covering flaws in your teeth. You just have to find the right dentist to administer the treatment at an affordable price.
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Veneers Application Procedure
Obtaining veneers requires two or three visits to your dentist. However, before the treatment starts, your dental professional will conduct an extensive consultation to establish your candidacy for the procedure. During the consultation, the dentist asks questions tailored to understanding your dental history and aesthetic objectives. Again, the dentist will thoroughly examine your teeth to look for any dental issues that can hinder the success of veneer treatment. Once the dentist has understood your aesthetic objective and determined that you are qualified for the treatment, you will be ready for the next step.
After your candidacy and your goal for the procedure have been established, your dental expert will prepare the teeth for the veneers. Tooth preparation in this procedure entails minimal enamel removal from the tooth in question to help it adopt the veneer. Again, it involves cleaning the teeth to remove any bacteria that could cause decay or other oral problems after placing the final veneers.
Veneer treatment is a suitable option for preserving your tooth enamel or if you are looking for a minimally invasive procedure. Only a tiny portion of the teeth' front surface enamel is removed, protecting the overall tooth structure. This contrasts with dental crown preparation, where a significant portion of the enamel is extracted, compromising the tooth structure.
The next phase involves making an impression on the prepped teeth. The molds are a blueprint for fabricating permanent veneers in a dental lab. The imprint captures the teeth' nuisances, including color, shape, length, and size, enabling the dental lab technician to fabricate perfectly fitting veneers.
The final restorations will not be ready on the same day as they take some time to fabricate. Even with the latest dental technology, veneer fabrication in the lab takes two to three weeks. You cannot continue the treatment until the final veneers arrive, so you must wear temporary veneers for this duration. To protect your teeth from sensitivity and fracturing during this period, your dentist will fix temporary veneers in the teeth and wear them until the permanent restorations are ready for fixing. The temporary restorations also help ensure aesthetic continuity.
When the final custom restorations arrive, you will return to your dental clinic to fix the permanent, tailored veneers. Before permanently cementing the veneers to the teeth, the dental expert ensures that they fit perfectly and that the color mimics them. Once you confirm that you are satisfied with the new look of your teeth, the dentist cements the veneers and then uses an ultraviolet to harden the cement. After cementing, the veneer application process is complete, and your dentist allows you to return home with a beautiful smile.
Dental Veneers vs. Crowns
Veneers and dental caps are transformative when restoring teeth with various dental concerns. However, the restorations possess different characteristics. So, when you intend to enhance your smile and make it functional, you can pick between these two. Choosing the right restoration is quite challenging, and understanding the differences between the two procedures is necessary. The two restorations differ in terms of:
Structural Coverage
Even though veneers and crowns help enhance the appearance or look of your teeth, the structural coverage they provide varies.
The structural coverage provided by veneers is minimal because it only covers the tooth's front surface. However, it is impactful as the placement is strategic and helps achieve the desired goal. Veneers are thin shells designed to offer coverage on the front surface of the enamel to fix facial impairments while preserving the tooth's structural integrity, as the procedure is minimally invasive. During preparations, only a tiny portion of the enamel on the facial surface of the tooth is removed, enabling you to enhance your smile without compromising the structural component of the tooth.
Veneers help cover flaws in the mouth like discoloration, improving your smile. However, their structural impact on the tooth is minor compared to crowns covering the entire tooth.
On the other hand, crowns or caps provide more comprehensive structural coverage on the tooth as they cover the entire visible tooth surface, unlike veneers, which only cover the front of the tooth. With the extensive coverage provided by crowns, the purpose of the treatment extends beyond aesthetics. It entails functional benefits like protecting the tooth from further damage, reinforcing teeth, and restoring damaged teeth.
During dental crown application, the caps encase the entire section of the tooth visible through the mouth, enhancing appearances and offering structural protection and reinforcement. So, when your teeth have suffered significant damage or decay or your dentist has performed a root canal procedure, crowns are the most suitable because of their extensive structural coverage.
Dental crowns are not only applied for cosmetic reasons. These restorations provide structural reinforcement if the teeth's strength is compromised. They offer prepped teeth a robust outer layer, protecting them from further deterioration and restoring their appearance and function.
Material Choices
Another difference between veneers and dental caps is the material choices. Because veneers primarily aim to enhance tooth appearance, they use materials like porcelain and composite. Porcelain veneers are extremely thin porcelain shells that can reflect the color of natural teeth because they are translucent. Their ability to refract light makes them the most prevalent material choice for veneers.
Composite resin is the other material choice used in veneers. You opt for this material when looking for an alternative to porcelain. Composite resin is cemented directly to the tooth. The material is versatile because it allows you to pick material that matches the color of your teeth. The downside is that it is not as durable as porcelain, but it helps you save money as it is more affordable.
In contrast, crowns use a wide range of materials because they are applied for both functional and aesthetic benefits. One common material choice is porcelain. Porcelain crowns offer strength to the teeth, and because they can mimic the color of the natural teeth, they enhance the aesthetics of your smile. Therefore, the material is ideal for structural reinforcement and improved tooth appearance.
Another material choice for crowns is metal alloy. You can choose gold or stainless steel alloys. Metal crowns are suitable for molars because of their strength and durability. However, they are not aesthetically appealing and are installed in the less visible back teeth.
Zirconia crowns are the most advanced because the material offers both strength and aesthetics, unlike metal crowns, which only provide strength. Therefore, when looking for a strong, appealing, and durable non-metal material for your crowns, you should go for zirconia.
Distinguishing Aspects
Crowns and veneers differ in tooth preparation, appearance, and strength. In terms of appearance, veneers, particularly porcelain ones, are designed to enhance the aesthetics of teeth and smiles. Crowns, on the other hand, focus on both aesthetics and function.
Another factor distinguishing veneers from caps is durability and strength. Material choices in crowns prioritize strength and durability, while veneer materials prioritize beauty.
When it comes to preparation, veneers need less tooth preparation because the goal is to enhance appearance. In contrast, crowns require extensive tooth enamel removal to enable the cap to encase the affected tooth perfectly.
The Price Differences
The cost of your crowns or veneers depends on the reason for undergoing the treatment and material choices. When you opt for dental crowns, be prepared to pay more because of the extensive structural coverage and reinforcement they provide the teeth.
In contrast, veneers place more emphasis on aesthetics. Therefore, with minimal preparations and the choice of material, veneers are more affordable. The price depends on the material you will pick for the procedure, with patients who opt for porcelain veneers paying more than those who choose composite resin.
Other factors that affect the cost of treatment are the number of teeth that require restoration, the position of the teeth, and the difficulty of the procedure. Some dental insurers cover part of the cost of treatment if the restoration is not for cosmetic purposes. However, when the treatment is entirely cosmetic, you will pay out of pocket, making the treatment expensive. For veneers, you will spend between $950 and $2,500 per tooth, while crowns range from $1,000 to $3,5000 for every tooth. If you have a tight budget, speak with your dental clinic to craft a repayment plan that makes the procedure you are interested in affordable.
Benefits and Disadvantages of Dental Crowns and Veneers
Both veneers and caps offer advantages and risks, which you must understand when choosing between the two.
Advantages of Crowns
Dental caps provide structural reinforcement when your teeth are weakened or damaged. The encasing offers protection and enhances tooth functionality.
Similarly, crowns are highly resilient and durable, making them suitable for back teeth where grinding uses a lot of force.
Also, some procedures involving dental crowns are covered by dental insurance, reducing the cost of treatment, unlike veneers, which are considered entirely cosmetic and not paid for by insurers.
Downside of Crowns
Crowns involve extensive enamel removal, making them unsuitable for preserving the original tooth structure.
Besides, you will experience temporary sensitivity because of the tooth preparation, which will subside after some time.
Again, some material choices, like metal alloys, can cause allergic reactions. You can avoid the allergies by opting for advanced materials like zirconia.
Advantages of Veneers
Veneers are highly transformative because they enhance the appeal of your smile by concealing discolorations, stains, and minor teeth misalignments. They are more appealing than crowns because they do not leave gum margins.
The treatment is also more conservative, as it involves minimal enamel removal. Therefore, veneers are the most suitable restorative treatment for preserving natural teeth.
The disadvantage of veneers is that they do not cover the entire tooth, exposing it to decay and damage.
Veneers are also expensive and less durable than alternatives with more durable material choices. Additionally, many insurers do not provide veneer coverage, making it costly.
Find Competent Dental Care Near Me
Your choice of dental caps or veneers depends on your underlying dental concern and desired outcome. Speak to an experienced dentist for guidance and advice to avoid any confusion. At Beach Dental Care Anaheim, we will explain the two treatments, their differences, and the pros and cons for an informed choice. Call us today at 714-995-4000 to schedule an appointment.
