When you start to look at cosmetic options for your front teeth, one of the first options that comes to mind are veneers. However, it’s important to know that there are a number of options you may have when it comes to cosmetic improvements to front teeth.
Of course if you are in Houston we’ll tell you that Dr. Suki is the best dentist in all of Texas to fabricate veneers, but she’s also the best dentist who can help you make the correct diagnosis, and provide you the correct treatment (whether the choice is veneers or an option below).
Learn more in general about veneers
Before we talk about dental veneers vs. other options, you can always learn more about porcelain veneers on our dedicated veneers page, and if you are curious about Lumineers (a special type of veneer), you can refer to our dedicated lumineers page.
Ceramic Crowns vs. Veneers
While a veneer can technically be used as a restoration on a single tooth, it’s rare that we veneer a single tooth because getting the proper color match of a single veneer to your natural teeth is extremely difficult. In these cases, a crown or all-ceramic crown may be a better option.
Veneers vs. Orthodontics
Patients who want to straighten their teeth or change the position of their teeth, often ask whether treatment with veneers can be used instead of orthodontic treatment. The answer is “it depends.” In dentistry we have a number of techniques and treatment modalities that we can use to achieve a goal — and each patient’s needs and goals are different.
For example, if someone has extensive crowding of their teeth along with severe rotations of their teeth, then orthodontic treatment may be the best choice. However, if a patient has a single front tooth that is too far forward or back, Six Month Smiles might be a better option because you would need to prepare (drill) multiple teeth to get the same effect with veneers.
If a patient, however, has multiple discolored teeth with slight rotations or irregular heights, then treatment with veneers might be a good choice.
Disadvantages of veneers
Veneers are made of a thin strip of porcelain, and like any other porcelain, veneers can fracture. If a veneer fractures we may be able to repair it, but more often than not a patient with a fractured veneer will need a new veneer. And while we can come close to the color match of the previous and/or other exiting veneers, no color match is as ideal as the original set of veneers or the original veneer. This is the reason why we often prefer to use ceramic crowns instead of veneers for single teeth.