The market and trend for dental restorations are predicted to grow significantly due to people’s inclination towards processed foods and high-calorie diets. This unhealthy eating habit increases the risk of poor oral health, with dental issues being the most prevalent. Today, more people rely on restoring and repairing teeth to hide dental flaws and obtain beautiful portraits with bright smiles. Among several restorative dentistry methods, veneers and crowns are the most significant.
Porcelain Veneers Colombia is famous among youth with minimal tooth decay who want a little cosmetic restoration, whereas dental crowns are effective for older people with worn-out teeth. Though the two methods restore overall teeth appearance, their applications, procedure, pricing, and durability vary appreciably. The following description explains veneers vs. crowns so you can choose the best for you.
What Are Veneers?
A veneer is a thin shell, typically one millimeter thick, designed to cover the front side of your teeth. These artificial teeth cases improve your teeth’ appearance and make them rigid and stable. Moreover, veneers are custom-made to fit the contours of your teeth and look like your natural enamel covering. Several materials, like porcelain and composite resin, are used to make customized veneers that vary in pricing and durability.
The dental restoration method utilizing veneers requires minimal grinding of your teeth to let the material bind with the enamel. Therefore, the process is done under local anesthesia since grinding may cause pain. Moreover, it’s essential to know that your teeth must have enough enamel to help affix the preparation firmly. Patients can select veneers as a cosmetic treatment to improve their teeth’s appearance, realign their smile, fill in gaps or fix minor nonlinearities, and resolve problems like discoloration, cracks, and chips.
What Are Dental Crowns?
Crowns are complete, long-lasting prostheses for teeth that require more strength than simple inlays or bonds may provide. They are incredibly strong and beautiful, specially-designed dentures that help reinforce fragile teeth. Various materials are used to make dental crowns according to the tooth location and patient budget.
Famous crowns are made of porcelain and zirconium, providing additional stability and strength to the teeth. Moreover, the crown application requires more grinding than veneers and covers the entire teeth rather than only the front side. If you have cracked, chipped, broken, stained, and decayed teeth, the dentist will scrape them all off and place a crown.
Veneers Vs. Crowns: What’s So Similar?
Tooth restoration procedures like veneers and dental crowns add to the beauty and functionality of teeth. They are frequently applied to fix teeth that have been harmed in some way if they are discolored, cracked, chipped, or crooked. Except for all-metal dental crowns, both veneers and crowns seamlessly blend with your natural teeth color that you can’t distinguish between the real and prosthetic ones.
These prostheses flawlessly brighten your smile and help your teeth look aligned and structured. Moreover, both of these restoration methods require equally adequate maintenance and care. You only need to brush your teeth every morning before bed. Also, do not forget to floss your teeth to remove trapped food particles and help your veneers or crowns remain durable and shiny like new.
Veneers Vs. Crowns: How Are They Different?
The Cause
Firstly, it’s the cause that differentiates veneers from crowns. Veneers are used in case of minimal tooth damage like gaps, misalignment, discoloration, or minor cracks. In contrast, crowns are employed to fully cover broken teeth damaged by caries or deeply stained by smoking.
Location
Veneers and crowns differ in their location of placement. Veneers are dental prostheses that only cover the front side of your teeth. In comparison, dental crowns completely cover the whole teeth.
Thickness
Veneers are only one millimeter thick wafer-like shells placed and affixed to teeth enamel. In contrast, crowns are two-millimeter-thick coverings that are more robust and stable than veneers.
Strength
Crowns give permanent strength and support to cracked teeth, whereas veneers are a less permanent solution to crooked and stained teeth.
Appeal
Veneers best fill gaps between the teeth and show fewer gums compared to crowns that only cover the whole teeth.
Invasiveness
Veneers are less invasive than crowns since the procedure requires less grinding. Therefore, veneer application also requires less amount of local anesthesia than needed in dental crowning.
Enamel Requirement
Veneers require more natural enamel on your teeth before the procedure to help prostheses affix firmly than crown application.
Durability
Veneers can last for a few years, whereas dental crowns may remain as shiny as new for many years to a lifetime, provided that you follow proper aftercare tips. Therefore, you may need to replace veneers more frequently than crowns.
Pricing
The price of porcelain veneers ranges from 925 to 2500 dollars per tooth, whereas the cost of composite resin veneers ranges from 250 to 1500 dollars per tooth, according to American Cosmetic Dentistry. The price variation is because porcelain veneers last longer than composite ones. In contrast, according to Consumer Guide to Dentistry, dental crowns can cost you 1000 to 3500 dollars per tooth exclusive of pre and post-dental restoration procedures, i.e., root canals.
Veneers Vs. Crowns: Pros And Cons
| Veneers | Pros | Cons |
| Less gum margin | Less expensive than dental crowns | |
| More aesthetically appealing | Less durable; can last up to 15 years | |
| Less grinding required | Irreversible procedure | |
| Less painful | Exposed teeth prone to decay | |
| Fewer teeth movement | Dental insurance may not cover this procedure |
| Crowns | Pros | Cons |
| Whole tooth covering | More grinding; more loss of natural teeth | |
| Less prone to decay | Painful procedure | |
| Look like natural white teeth | May lead to teeth sensitivity | |
| More permanent than veneers | Darkened line between the crown and natural teeth | |
| Dental insurance cover a portion of this treatment. | Very expensive |
FAQs
How Much Do Veneers Vs. Crowns Cost?
The cost of veneers ranges from 250 to 2500 dollars per tooth which varies with the type of material used. In contrast, crowns cost you up to 35oo dollars per tooth.
Veneers Vs. Crowns: Which One Is The Best?
If your teeth are intact or minimally stained, or crooked, and you want dental restoration for cosmetic purposes only, then veneers are the best solution to your problem. Nevertheless, if your teeth are poorly damaged, cracked, stained, or require a root canal, go ahead with dental crowns for a flawless smile.
How To Take Care Of Veneers And Crowns?
Brush your teeth gently using the dentist-recommended toothbrush and paste twice daily. Floss your teeth to remove trapped food and use an antiseptic mouthwash to prevent bacteria from your dental repairs. Moreover, do not chew any hard object, or do not open bottle caps with your teeth, or you will brack your veneer or crown.
Taking It All In
Although both veneers and crowns are excellent dental restoration methods for fixing dental issues that affect the smile, they are pretty different. Veneers only cover the front side of your teeth, whereas crowns cover the entire teeth. Similarly, the procedure, pricing, durability, and results vary, which are mentioned above. You can choose veneers if you intend a cosmetic restoration or crowns to restore your severely damaged teeth deeply.