Veneers vs. Crowns: What’s the Difference and Which One Is Right for You?

Clinical insights by Dr. Madina Gulverdiyeva

Choosing the Right Treatment: Dental Veneers vs Crowns

Thinking about brightening your smile? Dental crowns and veneers are probably the first things you’ll hear about.

Yeah, they’re both popular, but they’re not the same. Which one makes sense for your teeth? This depends …

Keep on reading to understand the difference between crowns and veneers and learn more about both techniques.
Let’s dive in …

What Are Dental Crowns?

When a tooth is damaged or weakened, a dentist may fit a custom-made crown over it. This gives the remaining tooth support when you chew and helps protect it against further damage, including fractures and decay.

Dr. Madina Gulverdiyeva, a Prosthodontic Specialist at DentSpa, describes the benefit this way: “One of the main advantages of a crown is that it allows us to preserve and reinforce a tooth that might otherwise be too weak to function properly. It gives the tooth back some of the strength and structure it has lost while also restoring its appearance.”

You may hear crowns called porcelain, zirconia or porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM). These names refer to the materials used to make them, and they are among the most common options.

Getting a Dental Crown: What to Expect

If you’ve been told you need a crown, you may be wondering what happens at the appointments. Below are the main steps, from the first examination to having your crown fitted.

Initial oral examination

As with every other dental care procedure, the treatment starts with a thorough examination of your entire oral cavity. Here, your dentist will make use of imaging techniques to assess the condition of the affected tooth, gum line, and overall oral health. This helps determine whether a dental crown is the right option for you.

Teeth preparation

Once your dentist decides you’re ready for a dental crown, the next step is prepping your tooth. Here’s how it goes: First, you will receive an injection of local anesthesia. This numbs your tooth and the surrounding area. They will remove any remaining decay or old filling from this tooth.

If you have lost a large portion of your tooth, they will use a restoration material to rebuild the tooth so that the crown can be placed on a solid foundation. Next, they will shape the tooth so that there is sufficient space for the crown to properly fit.

Digital impressions and temporary crown

Once preparation is complete, your dentist will take a digital scan of your teeth and send the blueprint to the laboratory. This blueprint would then be to custom-make your permanent crown. If the clinic offers same day crown services, you may receive your permanent crown on the same day. Otherwise, you may receive a temporary crown and come back later for your permanent crown.

What Are Dental Veneers?

Dental veneers are thin, tooth-coloured shells that are bonded to the front surface of your teeth to improve their appearance. Unlike crowns, which cover the entire tooth, veneers are designed for teeth that are generally healthy and structurally intact. As Dr. Madina Gulverdiyeva puts it, “Veneers are really about improving the look of a healthy tooth, rather than rebuilding one that’s been badly damaged.”

Veneers can be used to correct cosmetic issues such as:

• Tooth discolouration or staining that does not respond to professional teeth whitening
• Tooth that has distorted shape and uneven sizes
• Minor chips, cracks, or worn edges on front teeth
• Minor misalignment

Key Differences Between Crowns and Veneers

To help visualize how dental crowns and veneers stack up against each other, here is a quick side-by-side comparison between them

Crowns or Veneers: Which Option Suits Your Teeth?

Are you unhappy with the color or shape of your teeth? Or do you have very large fillings that need to be repaired? These factors—and many others—play a role in your decision. After a thorough examination, you can then make a decision together with your dentist.

When Dental Crowns May Be the Better Choice

A dental crown is typically the recommended choice if you have:

Extensive decay

If you have lost over fifty percent of your tooth to tooth decay or has been damaged in some way you may require a Crown. The Crown will cover the remaining portion of your tooth, provide protection for the remaining portion of your tooth

Cracked or fractured tooth

You can experience significant discomfort while eating if your tooth is cracked all the way through the enamel layer into the dentin layer. This type of crack causes movement of the tooth and or flexion when biting down which creates an extreme amount of pain. If the tooth is crowned this will allow you to chew without experiencing such severe amounts of discomfort.

Bruxism

If you tend to clench or grind your teeth, especially while sleeping, that puts serious pressure on anything in your mouth—including dental work. Veneers just aren’t built to handle that much force, especially long-term. For people who grind pretty heavily, dentists usually recommend going with tougher, thicker crowns, like monolithic zirconia crowns. Those are much better at holding up against all that stress.

Cosmetic needs for damaged teeth

Crowns can be used in both cases, for restorative and cosmetic purposes. So, if your tooth is badly shaped, discoloured, or misshapen, a crown can improve its appearance while also restoring its strength and function.

When Dental Veneers May Be More Suitable

Veneers are generally the better choice if you have:

Structurally intact front teeth

Veneers only work if your front tooth is still structurally intact and you only want to improve on it. This means that your teeth must be free from large decay, extensive fillings, or deep cracks before you can even consider veneers.

Deep discolororation and staining

If your enamel has changed colour so much that a professional teeth whitening procedure can not fit it, veneers may be a suitable option. They are designed to cover the visible surface of the tooth, such that the parts that has changed colour would become almost invisible

Minor cosmetic imperfections

Veneers can also be used to correct cosmetic issues like small chips, uneven edges, minor gaps between front teeth, and many others.

FAQs About Veneers vs Crowns

Can a dental veneer be replaced with a crown in the future?

Yes. Because veneer preparation removes only a minimal amount of front enamel, if in the future, you want to replace the veneer with a crown, the process will be pretty seamless. However, the reverse is not possible: a tooth that has received a crown can never revert to a veneer because too much natural tooth structure was removed during crown preparation

Do Zirconia Crowns Look as Natural as Porcelain Veneers?

Zirconia crowns today are generally very realistic looking. So much so, most of the time you can’t even notice when someone has a crown on. However, if you’re concerned with your front teeth and wanting them to appear as shiny as possible, porcelain veneers do tend to be slightly better than zirconia crowns. Porcelain veneers are more thin and translucent than zirconia crowns; therefore they reflect light nearly identically to actual tooth enamel.

Is the procedure to get a crown or veneer painful?

Getting veneers usually doesn’t hurt. Crowns are a bit different—you might feel some mild pain or sensitivity for a few days afterward. That’s mainly because your dentist needs to remove more of the tooth to fit the crown. Still, any soreness is short-lived, and you can handle it with regular painkillers you’d use for a headache.

Can teeth with crowns still develop cavities?

The crown itself cannot get a cavity, but the tooth beneath it can. Plaque can build up around the edges, allowing decay to develop underneath. A crowned tooth still needs daily brushing and cleaning between the teeth.

Can I whiten my veneers or crowns if they get darker over time?

No – bleaching gel works on natural teeth, so your crowns and veneers will stay the same shade. It’s something to plan ahead for: have any whitening done first, then choose the colour of your new crowns or veneers to match.

Making Your Decision With a Dental Specialist

When comparing veneers and crowns do not simply ask “which is better?”; instead, you should ask yourself which option will work best for you. If you have an issue with how your front teeth appear but still like them as far as their structure goes, veneers may be a viable choice. However, if you have a tooth that has been severely damaged and now requires some level of protection or repair, then a crown would likely be a much better option.

If you’re not sure what’s right for you, talk to a specialist. DentSpa in Istanbul is a great place to start.This clinic has built a solid reputation for taking care of all kinds of dental concerns. Their team listens to what you need and tailors a plan just for you.