Crowns vs Veneers: Whats the Difference?
Veneers and Crowns are two different cosmetic dental procedures that produce relatively the same results. Both crowns and veneers serve to cosmetically perfect the look of one’s smile. Many dental patients are hesitant in deciding whether or not they would like to get a cosmetic procedure simply because of all the different options available.
Dr. DesRosiers of Lane Family Dentistry has performed hundreds of cosmetic procedures during his time here. In this article, he will answer some of the most common questions that are asked among patients about the differences between crowns and veneers.
What is the main difference between crowns and veneers?
The first question that patients usually ask about these two cosmetic procedures is what the main difference between the two is. Dr. DesRosiers explains the difference between crowns and veneers and how each is used.
“The only difference between crowns and veneers is the amount of tooth structure that the restoration covers. Veneers are considered to be a purely cosmetic restoration, whereas, a crown will offer you a compressive strength to the tooth, it will give you extra compressive strength.”
“So if a tooth has had extensive restoration and needs to have a crown, that would supersede kind of just the cosmetic benefit of adding the veneer. One thing that’s important to understand is that the appearance of crowns and veneers cosmetically is exactly the same. A lot of people think that veneers are a cosmetic thing, and therefore they’ll be superior in cosmetics to crowns, but that’s not necessarily true. There’s plenty of cases where we’ll do a mixture of crowns and veneers, because the patient needs that, and you can’t tell the difference.”
Does one of them last longer than the other?
If both of these procedures have a similar end result, is there a difference in the longevity between the two? Dr. DesRoisers explains how long each lasts and how to make them last even longer.
“If done properly, both are really good, long-lasting restorations, and it really kind of boils down to any kind of parafunctional habits that you might have that would kind of cause them to dislodge, or break, or dietary and maintenance, things like hygiene. Keeping hygiene appointments, and kind of watching your diet.”
Is there a major difference in the cost of crowns and veneers?
What about the difference in cost between the two procedures? If you are considering one of these two dental procedures, you are probably most focused on the cost of each. As he explains, there may be a difference when it comes to insurance coverage of the two procedures.
“The typical difference in costs, they’re very comparatively priced actually, but most of the insurance companies will view veneers as a cosmetic restoration and won’t be apt to cover them. Whereas, if a crown has a functional consideration, that would be covered in the patient’s out-of-pocket expenses. In those cases, it will be less.”
Are crowns or veneers recommended for front teeth?
Many patients wonder whether or not they should have crowns or veneers put on their front teeth. We already know the differences between the two procedures, but how can we know which one is the right option? Luckily for us, Dr. DesRosiers is an expert at crown and veneer procedures. Here’s what he had to say:
“It really just depends on the situation. If the bite is not a consideration, then oftentimes veneers will be preferable if it’s just for cosmetic reasons. Because you’re actually leaving more of the healthy tooth structure intact, but the balance gets tilted if the tooth really requires structural help too, the crown will be a better choice there.”
“So it’s just on a case by case basis that you have to evaluate, and really it’s more tooth by tooth than patient by patient. Because you have to make sure that you’re solving that patient’s problem per tooth, and making sure that the appropriate restorations are done for each tooth.”
Should you get crowns or veneers for crooked teeth?
You may have heard before that you can get crowns or veneers to correct a crooked tooth. While this is true, there are some parameters that don’t allow this to be done in every situation. As Dr. DesRoisers explains, having a crooked tooth fixed with veneers or crowns is a situation-based procedure.
“The benefit of doing crowns and veneers to correct a malocclusion, like rotations, and drifting of teeth, and things like that, is that you can get the desired result very quickly. In some cases, orthodontic intervention there would be more appropriate, but it takes a little bit longer. So it really just depends on what the patient’s trying to accomplish, and what the timeline is.”
If you would like to learn more about veneers and cosmetic dentistry, visit our veneers education center page. We have had several Lane dentists answer the most commonly asked questions about cosmetic dentistry and posted them on these pages.
Choose Lane and Associates for Cosmetic Dentistry
If you are located in North Carolina and considering having veneers or crowns, come see us at Lane Family Dentistry. Many of our locations across the state have dentists like Dr. DesRoisers available to perform cosmetic dental procedures. If you have any questions about these procedures, please fill out the contact form below and we will get back to you with all the answers!
