Understanding Porcelain Veneers & Dental Crowns

We consider porcelain veneers to be a cosmetic dentistry solution for your smile. Often, porcelain veneers provide patients with the ability to completely alter the overall appearance of their smiles. Veneers are thin, porcelain shells that are firmly secured to the front-facing portion of your tooth. Patients may choose to get one veneer or a full set of veneers depending on their cosmetic goals. We often utilize veneers to conceal minor blemishes like stains, chips, cracks, or gaps within a patient’s smile. Because the veneers are extremely thin, they do not require much enamel removal and therefore considered a minimally invasive treatment option.

We consider dental corns to be a restorative dentistry solution for your smile. While crowns can cosmetically replace your tooth, their overall purpose is to restore the functionality of your tooth. Dental crowns are often recommended to patients who have suffered from severe dental damage like deep chips or cracks. To help patients avoid the need for complete tooth extraction, we try to do everything we can to make use of what remains of the affected tooth. With a dental crown, your natural tooth is shaved down to a foundational core that supports the crown. The crown is designed to look just like the restored version of your natural tooth and replaces the entire exterior of your tooth. Because a dental crown replaces the entire exterior instead of just covering up the front-facing portion of your tooth like a porcelain veneer, it requires significantly more enamel removal.