It is never a good thing to have suffered significant damage to one, or several of your teeth, regardless of whether the damage is from a tooth being gradually chipped away or worn down consistently from chewing and grinding in everyday life, or from a tooth or multiple teeth suffering an accident which has caused them to brake suddenly. However, the good news is that in the modern world of dentistry, there are treatments that exist to both hide the cosmetic impact of losing a part of the tooth, as well as strengthen teeth which have received significant damage. Common treatments for damage to the tooth include both crowns and veneers.
Many people may have heard some things about these treatments in the past, however, there is still some confusion in general about the difference between these two treatments, as well as about how each one of them works and the situations that they are used for. This article intends to provide some more information about crowns and veneers, to hopefully allow people to discern between the two more easily and also to give people more knowledge going into any treatment wherein the use of crowns and veneers is typically involved. Hopefully, by doing this, you will be able to approach the dentist in Sydney CBD with more confidence the next time you need a crown or a veneer.
Crowns
A dental crown is a small ‘cap’ like device, usually about 2mm in thickness, that is designed to cover the whole surface of a tooth after it has suffered damage. By doing this, it gives extra strength to a tooth that has been decayed or broken. Many people also find them to be useful if they are prone to frequent, heavy grinding of their teeth, as crowns give teeth some extra strength against grinding. Furthermore, crowns can often be created to match the shape and colour of your original teeth, meaning that this treatment can be subtle, and often difficult to be seen by other people.
During treatment, your mouth is prepared for a crown by having an X-ray taken of it, before your teeth and gums are numbed so that they can be filed if needed, and a mould of the affected area can be taken. The mould allows your dentist to develop a temporary crown for you, which is designed to last until a permanent crown can be cemented for you, in a process that is usually relatively quick.
Veneers
Whilst a crown covers the entire surface area of a tooth, a veneer instead just covers the front surface. Because of this, veneers are more often used in the treatment of discoloured or chipped teeth. Veneers will often be made out of porcelain, a hard and durable material which is coloured to emulate the appearance of your other teeth, or if not then they will sometimes be made of a composite resin material, which also shares many of porcelain’s qualities.
The cosmetic purposes of a veneer, in terms of hiding damage or discolouration, are quite similar to that of a crown, however the process in which a veneer is fitted into the mouth tends to differ in that less of the tooth enamel is filed in preparation for a veneer compared to a crown.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
