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Which One Is Better – Crowns or Veneers?
When you get a tooth chipped or cracked, you wouldn’t want to waste even an iota of time in order to get your smile and bite restored as soon as possible. Luckily, we have veneers and crowns as restorative options for the teeth which get chipped, cracked or broken. Here, you may wonder what the best option for teeth restoration may be.
Although veneers and crowns do not look different when it comes to aesthetics, there are several other factors which should be taken into consideration. These factors differentiate both restorative options from one another.
The basics
Before talking about what’s better, let’s define both of them briefly.
Veneers are thin shells which are used to cover the outer surface of teeth in order to make them look flawless. Resin or other composite materials are used in the making of veneers.
Crowns are usually made to cover the bigger are of the teeth. Although the crowns help in improving the appearance of the teeth, the basic purpose of crowns is to support the tooth structure. The most common application of crowns is usually to support the tooth after root canal surgery after which the natural tooth structure weakens drastically.
The materials used in the making of veneers and crowns are usually the same. It’s just about the area these materials are supposed to cover. When it comes to covering the small chips, you do not need your entire tooth to be covered from every side. Here, you are going to need veneers. But if the chip is bigger or you have got the big part of your tooth broken, you will need to save the tooth and its root. This is where you are going to need a crown.
Durability
You may ask about the durability of both. You would always like to go for the best option in order to avoid getting on the dentist chair for teeth restoration again and again.
When we talk about veneers, these shells are made to last for 7-15 years. On the other hand, crowns are set to last a bit longer as they can stay with you for 10 – 15 years.
However, it is not wise to jump to the conclusion that you should always pick crowns over veneers. There are many situations in which veneers tend to give you better support as compared to crowns. For instance, when you have small chip in one of the front teeth, it would unwise to get a crow because you may be risking the existence of important of your tooth this way. Furthermore, veneers are easily replaceable as compared to crowns.
Nevertheless, you may not get recommendation to get veneers if you have the habit of teeth grinding, nail biting or any other bad dental habits which the thin shells of veneers may not endure.