Crowns vs. Veneers: The Pros and Cons

Whether your teeth are chipped, uneven, or discolored, a crown or veneer can restore your tooth’s function and improve your smile. While these treatment options can address many dental health issues, their variations make each the best choice for specific issues. Please read this blog to understand their pros and cons, so you can make wise decisions.

An Overview of Dental Veneers

Dental veneers fit and cover the front surfaces of your teeth to improve your smile. They are cosmetic in nature, and you can consider them if you want to conceal the following:

• Fractured or chipped teeth
• A diastema (a space or gap in the smile)
• Stains that fail to improve after teeth whitening
• Too tiny teeth
• Misshapen teeth

Please note that you do not qualify for veneers if you have gum disease or severe cavities. You should first address oral health conditions before considering this cosmetic treatment.

Some of the differences between veneers and crowns are as follows:

• The veneers cover your tooth’s front surface to enhance the appearance, while a crown covers the whole tooth structure to strengthen and protect it.
• A veneer is a cosmetic procedure that improves your smile and does not necessarily repair or strengthen your tooth. On the other hand, a tooth crown can improve your teeth’s appearance, but its primary purpose is to restore severely damaged teeth due to trauma or cavities.

An Overview of Dental Crowns

A tooth crown is a cap that the dentist places over your tooth, covering it, restoring its strength, size, and shape, and improving its appearance. After your dentist cements the crown into place, it encases the whole visible part of your tooth lying above and at your gum line. 

Your dentist might recommend a dental crown to do the following:

• To hold parts of your fractured tooth together or to safeguard your weak teeth (for example, due to cavities) from fracturing 
• Restoring already fractured teeth or teeth that are seriously worn down
• Covering and supporting with a huge tooth filling when there is little tooth left
• Holding tooth bridges in place
• Covering severely discolored or misshapen teeth
• Covering your dental implant
• Making cosmetic modifications 

The dentist can also recommend a dental crown for your child’s baby (primary) to do the following:

• Save teeth that decay has severely damaged to the point where they cannot support dental fillings
• Safeguard baby teeth that are more vulnerable to cavities, mainly when your child has challenges maintaining an everyday oral hygiene routine.
• Reduce the frequency of anesthesia for a baby unable to follow proper dental care requirements due to medical history, behavior, or age.

Different Types of Tooth Crowns

Since there are numerous types of tooth crowns, you should choose the one that best suits your oral health goals and preferences.

Metal Dental Crowns

Typically, technicians utilize different metals to manufacture crowns, including nickel, chromium, palladium, and gold. The crowns occasionally break or chip, but they are durable, require minimal enamel removal during crown placement, and can withstand chewing and biting forces.

However, their metallic color is a significant disadvantage, making them ideal for back molars.

Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns (PFM)

These crowns integrate the natural look of porcelain and the durability of metal. Your dentist can match the crown to the shade of your natural teeth. You can use them to restore your back or front teeth.

Over time, this porcelain coating chips off, exposing the metal beneath. Additionally, the crown might gradually erode the opposing tooth’s enamel whenever you close your mouth.

Pressed Ceramic Dental Crowns

The pressed ceramic dental crowns have hard inner cores. Although they are identical to PFMs, their core is ceramic rather than metal. To make the inner core, the dental technician will melt and press ceramic in an oven at high temperature, then add many porcelain layers. The dental crowns mimic your natural teeth’s enamel translucency, and you can use them on your back and front teeth.

Same-Day Tooth Crowns

Most dentists use computer-aided manufacturing and design techniques to make dental crowns while patients wait in the dental office. The software permits the medical practitioner to take impressions of their patients’ teeth. They use the impressions to make custom crowns and send your image file to a milling machine that will craft the new dental crown from ceramic.

Please note that not every patient qualifies for these types of dental crowns. Be sure to inquire with your dentist whether you are eligible.

Porcelain or All-Ceramic Tooth Crowns

Porcelain or all-ceramic dental crowns mimic your tooth enamel’s appearance more than other types of crowns. These crowns are ideal if you are allergic to metals.

Laboratory technicians use various materials to make porcelain tooth crowns, but zirconium dioxide is among the most popular. Zirconia crowns are very durable and can withstand greater biting and chewing forces. Finally, they are gentle on the opposing teeth, leading to minimal enamel wear.

Various Categories of Veneers

There are many categories of dental veneers, including the following:

Composite Veneers

Dentists use composite veneers to hide minor cosmetic problems. The dentist will use a composite resin to realize your desired outcomes.

Porcelain Veneers

Dentists use these veneers to address various aesthetic imperfections. The restoration is custom-made to suit the dental anatomy. Before veneer placement, the dentist should remove some enamel from the natural teeth to roughen the tooth surfaces and ensure the veneers remain in place.

Removable Dental Veneers

Also known as snap-on veneers or pop-on veneers, removable veneers cover the real teeth to conceal imperfections. You can remove these veneers at any time. While these veneers can improve your smile, they can make eating challenging and could adversely affect your speech.

Since there is little research on these veneers, which have been around for a couple of years, ask a seasoned dentist whether they are a safe and ideal option for you.

No-Prep Dental Veneers

They are less invasive. Like conventional veneers, dentists custom-make no-prep veneers based on your smile. Nonetheless, they require minimal enamel removal.

Please note that this type of veneer is not ideal for every patient. Therefore, be sure to inquire from your qualified dentist whether you are eligible.

What to Expect During Tooth Crown Treatment Procedure

A dental crown treatment requires two dental appointments. The initial visit entails reviewing and preparing your tooth, while the second step involves permanent crown placement.

Initial Appointment

During dental crown preparation, the dentist may take diagnostic imaging to assess the tooth roots receiving treatment and the surrounding jawbone. If your tooth is severely decayed or your tooth’s pulp is vulnerable to injury or infection, your dentist might first perform root canal therapy.

The dentist will administer anesthesia to numb your gum tissues around the treatment area and the tooth. They will next reshape your tooth, treating its sides and chewing surfaces, creating room for your crown. The quantity of enamel the dentist removes depends mainly on the kind of dental crowns they will use. If you have a large missing area of your tooth, the dentist will utilize filling materials to build up your tooth to hold your dental crown.

Next, the dentist will utilize a putty or paste to make a tooth impression. Sometimes, dentists use digital scanners to make impressions. Your dentist will also make impressions above and below the tooth receiving treatment to ensure the crown does not affect the bite.

The dentist will send the impressions to a lab where a competent technician will manufacture the crown. The technician will return the crown to the dentist after approximately three (3) weeks. If the technician makes your dental crown from porcelain, the dentist will choose a shade that matches your natural teeth.

During the appointment, the dentist will also make a temporary crown to encase and protect your prepared tooth while the dental technician fabricates the permanent crown. Dentists make temporary crowns from acrylic and secure them with temporary dental cement.

Dental Crown Placement

During your second dental appointment, the oral health provider will remove your temporary tooth crown and examine your permanent dental crown’s color, shape, and fit. If all is well, the dentist will administer anesthesia to numb the area around your tooth. They will then cement your permanent dental crown in place. 

What to Expect During the Veneers Treatment Procedure

The procedure takes two appointments to be completed.

Initial Appointment

During the first dental visit, the dentist will review your gums and teeth to determine whether you qualify for this cosmetic option. If you are eligible, the dentist will remove some tooth enamel to prepare the teeth and then take dental impressions. A laboratory technician will utilize the impressions to make custom dental veneers. Note that composite veneers do not require dental impressions.

The technician will take about two weeks to make the veneers. In the meantime, the dentist will place temporary dental veneers. After the laboratory technician finishes making the veneers, they will send them to the dentist.

Second Appointment

During your second dental appointment, the medical practitioner will confirm the fit, color, and shape of the veneers before permanently bonding them with dental cement. They will also check the bite and make essential adjustments.

If you are considering changing anything about the veneers, including the color or shape, notify your dentist. They will collaborate with the lab technician and you to ensure you are satisfied with your outcome.

There is downtime after the placement. You can return to your everyday routine the same day after the treatment. Additionally, you can drink or eat following the placement, provided the anesthesia has faded.

Benefits of Tooth Crowns

Here are the advantages of dental crowns:

• Since tooth crowns cover the visible tooth surface, they can prevent further tooth damage
• The crowns can reinforce or cover fractured or weak teeth, mainly those prone to breaking or chipping
• Dental crowns are durable.
• The crowns can improve your appearance

Advantages of Tooth Veneers

Here are the pros of veneers:

• The veneers can improve your smile’s appearance.
• They match the natural teeth.
• The veneers are more resistant to staining than natural teeth
• They are more durable and can last up to fifteen years with good oral health care
• The treatment option does not require additional maintenance

Risks and Complications of Dental Crowns

Here are issues that could develop after your dental crown placement:

• Chipped dental crowns—Sometimes crowns made from PFM or porcelain can chip. If your chip is tiny, your dentist can use a composite resin to repair it. This is typically for temporary fixes.
• Sensitivity or discomfort—You might experience sensitivity in your treated tooth as the anesthesia fades. If your treated tooth has a nerve, it might be sensitive to cold and heat. Your dentist might recommend brushing your teeth with toothpaste formulated for sensitive teeth. Sensitivity or pain that occurs whenever you bite down suggests that your dental crown is too high on your tooth. In this case, you should consult your dentist.
• Your dental crown could fall out —Your crown could fall out due to loose cementing material holding the crown and the underlying tooth decaying. If the crown falls out, clean it and your tooth’s front. You can reattach your crown temporarily with tooth cement or dental adhesive. Call your dentist immediately and ask for guidelines for caring for your crown and the tooth before your next appointment. Your dentist can recement your crown or make a new crown.
• Dark line on crowned tooth near your gum line — It is normal to have a dark line on your gum line from the crowned tooth, especially if you have PFM crowns. The dark line is the crown’s metal showing. While it is not an issue, the dark line is cosmetic, and you might consider replacing your crown with a ceramic or porcelain crown.
• Loose dental crowns—Sometimes the dental cement holding the crown falls out. It loosens the dental crown, allowing bacteria to enter the tooth and cause cavities. You should contact your dentist immediately when you realize your dental crown is loose.
• Allergic reactions —Since there are many metals used to manufacture dental crowns, you can experience allergic reactions to the porcelain or metal used to make the crown. However, allergic reactions are rare.

Risks and Complications of Veneers Treatment

Here are some cons of veneers:

• The treatment process is irreversible.
• Your dentist cannot replace the veneers when they crack or chip
• Since your dentist will remove tooth enamel to prepare your tooth, the tooth might become sensitive to heat and cold.
• If you get a veneer, it might not match the color of your natural teeth. Your veneer’s color cannot change after your dentist places it. That means if you are considering teeth whitening, you should do so before your veneer placement.
• You do not qualify for porcelain veneer treatment if you grind or clench your teeth, as the veneers could chip or crack.
• Although rare, veneers could become loose and fall out. To reduce the likelihood of this occurring, avoid chewing hard substances, putting excessive pressure on your teeth, and biting your nails.

Cost of Veneers

The national average price of one veneer is $1,765.

Other factors that might affect the cost include the following:

• The material used
• Laboratory craftsmanship
• Your dentist’s expertise
• Case complexity
• Number of the teeth treated
• Geographic area

You might also be required to pay for a dental cleaning and examination before the procedure.

Typically, insurance companies do not cover dental veneers because they consider them an elective cosmetic treatment. You can check with your healthcare insurance provider.

If not covered, you can inquire with your dentist whether they offer payment plans.

Cost of Dental Crowns

The type of dental crown is the primary determinant of its price. The following things are included in the tooth crown cost:

• Temporary crown
• Your custom laboratory-made permanent dental crown
• Treatment preparation process, shade matching, and impressions taken
• Final fit and adjustments made

Diagnostic imaging and root canal treatment performed are billed separately.

Dental crowns are restorative treatments, and your insurance provider might cover the cost.

Caring for Your Veneers and Crowns

Both veneers and crowns last for many years, provided you take good care of them. Additionally, they do not require any special care. They are custom-made to fit patients, comfortable, and provide proper occlusal contact with the adjacent teeth.

The most effective way to care for your crown or veneer is to brush and floss your teeth daily and visit your dentist regularly for dental examinations and cleaning. These oral health hygiene practices will remove plaque and tartar that could compromise your teeth.

You should also avoid eating hard substances, grinding your teeth, and using your teeth as tools. These habits can chip or damage your crown or veneers. 

Find a Knowledgeable Dentist Near Me

If you want to improve your tooth functionality and smile, both veneers and crowns offer elegant, long-lasting results. The best treatment option for you depends on your dental goals and preferences. Agoura Hills Advanced Dentistry can help you decide after evaluating your oral health and discussing the pros and cons of each option. Please contact us at 818-878-7300 to schedule your appointment.