Monday, December 1, 2008

DENTAL CROWNS Vs. PORCELAIN VENEERS

DENTAL CROWNS Vs. PORCELAIN VENEERS

One of the more significant disadvantages associated with porcelain veneers (porcelain laminates) is the fact that they do have the potential to break or come off, and of course this will occur at a most inopportune moment. If a porcelain veneer has broken there is no way for your dentist to repair it, their only option will be to make you a new one. This means that you will have to endure the cost of having the new veneer made, as well as endure the time it takes for the new veneer to be fabricated and ultimately bonded into place. If a porcelain veneer has simply come off, there is a chance that your dentist will be able to bond it back in place.

A fundamental difference between porcelain veneers and dental crowns is the amount of a tooth's surface each respective type of dental restoration covers over. Dental crowns typically encase an entire tooth whereas porcelain veneers only cover over the front side of a tooth (the side that shows when the person smiles).

Porcelain veneers cannot be placed on teeth that have decay or are involved with periodontal disease (gum disease). Your dentist must treat these conditions before a porcelain veneer can be successfully placed.
If a significant amount of tooth structure has been lost because of decay or fracture, or else has already been replaced by a dental filling, the tooth may not be a good candidate for a porcelain veneer.

Porcelain veneers will not strengthen the teeth on which they are placed. Teeth that have histories where a significant amount of tooth structure has been lost are usually better served by placing a dental crown on them, not a porcelain veneer.
People who clench and grind their teeth can make poor candidates for porcelain veneers. The forces created by these activities, termed bruxism by dentists, can easily chip or break.

Dental crowns are restorations that protect damaged, cracked, or broken down teeth. A crown strengthens your existing damaged tooth to preserve its functionality. Dental crowns are also commonly known as caps because a crown sits over your existing tooth covering the entire outer surface.

By Dr. Ana Oviedo

2 comments:

  1. I am glad that my Mexican dentist talked me into crowns instead of veneers on my front teeth, I thought I needed 8 veneers.

    He made me 8 porcelain crowns instead, and it has been 3 years now, and I have had no problems. There were a few times that I did bite on hard things, like popcorn kernels, and I think that a veneer may have broken, but the crown held up without a problem. If you have the option, I would recommend the crowns over veneers, especially since they cost almost the same, where I had them done at Mexican Dental Vacation. I saved more than 60%.

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  2. This is very useful. Wish I stumbled your site before. Thanks a lot for this valuable information.Thanks for guiding me through this. Rarely do I find good entries that would walk me through.

    -bjdenise-

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