Crowns vs. porcelain veneers: what is the difference?
A crown covers the entire outer surface of a tooth. A porcelain veneer usually goes only on the front surface, which keeps the back side of the tooth intact. The steps to make them are very similar, but a veneer takes away far less tooth structure.
What is a dental crown?
When people say a tooth was capped, they mean a crown. A crown is a cover that goes over a whole tooth. It is often one option when a tooth fractures, is chipped, or has had root canal treatment and needs its strength rebuilt.
Pearl Dental Care makes crowns in gold, in porcelain, or in porcelain fused to gold. Many patients choose the newer all zirconium crowns, which can have the strength of metal with the look of porcelain.
What is a porcelain veneer?
A porcelain veneer is a thin shell of porcelain, custom made to fit over the front of a tooth. It can change the shape, size, rotation or color of that tooth. Veneers can close gaps between teeth, which helps when orthodontics cannot close a space on its own.
The shell on its own is fragile. Once it is bonded onto the tooth, it becomes very strong. Not much tooth needs to be removed to make room for it, because the porcelain can be made as thin as half a millimeter and still hold up. Veneers also pick up a little of the color of the tooth underneath and the teeth beside them, which helps them blend in.
How does a veneer differ from a crown?
A crown covers the entire outer surface of the tooth. A veneer generally goes only on the facial surface, which is the side you see when you smile, and the back side of the tooth is left alone. In rare cases a veneer is placed on the back of a tooth, usually to change the bite or open up the height of the teeth.
- Coverage: a crown wraps the whole tooth, a veneer covers the front
- Tooth removed: much less for a veneer than for a crown
- Best for: crowns rebuild broken or weakened teeth, veneers change how teeth look
- Process: the appointments are similar for both
Which one is right for me?
Start with the reason you are treating the tooth. If the tooth is cracked, badly broken down, or has had a root canal, a crown is usually the conversation. If the tooth is sound but dark, chipped, rotated or spaced, veneers are often the better fit. We describe veneers as almost like instant orthodontics for teeth that are otherwise healthy.
Deep discoloration is a good example. If whitening will not lift the color, or there is also chipping, rotation or spacing to correct, porcelain veneers may be the better answer.
How are they made at Pearl Dental Care?
We use a Dandy digital scanner. Instead of sitting with a mouthful of impression material waiting for it to set, your teeth are scanned and the scan is sent straight to the lab. That cuts contamination, speeds the process up, and gives the lab a more accurate model to work from, which means a better fitting result.
Crown work is done in two visits so the lab ceramist can make a custom porcelain restoration. In between, an acrylic temporary sits on the tooth for one to two weeks. The temporary protects the tooth from sensitivity, holds the spacing between teeth, and keeps the gum from growing over the edge of the crown.
To ask a question or book a visit, call Pearl Dental Care at (630) 810-9940 or visit us at 331 W 63rd St, Westmont, IL 60559.
This guide is educational only. Your dentist will tailor any plan at your visit.
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