Teeth that are perfectly healthy may not always look fabulous. We want you to love your smile, however, so we provide multiple safe, effective treatments to address your cosmetic concerns. Luckily, there is a large toolbox of modern treatment options for making your smile look more bright, balanced, and harmonious. We can put things on, take things off, change shapes and contours, or realign your teeth completely! Two popular techniques that can give you similar results are dental bonding and porcelain veneers.
Are you thinking of improving the appearance of your smile? Come see Knoxville cosmetic dentist Dr. Jack Haney. We love to rejuvenate and repair hardworking smiles and can help you feel good about the way you connect with the world. Call 865-693-6886 to make an appointment.
Dental Bonding and Porcelain Veneers
Bonding and veneers are very similar in the fact that they both are able to correct a wide range of aesthetic flaws by giving a tooth a brand-new “face.” They are extremely versatile techniques that can alter the shape, size, color, and texture of a tooth. Both can close gaps, repair chips, and minimize the appearance of crowding. Veneers use customized porcelain shells that are made offsite and attached by Dr. Haney in our office. Bonding, on the other hand, is the free-hand sculpting of malleable materials that are then hardened with a curing light. Rather than undo damage or unsightly flaws, both techniques simply cover the teeth in question, giving them a new protective surface on the outside of the tooth.
Key Differences Between Bonding and Veneers
Despite using a similar cover-and-correct approach, bonding and veneers have several significant differences:
- Materials Used: Bonding uses dental composite, the same resin used to create white fillings. Veneers are made from dental porcelain, which is also used to make crowns. Porcelain may age better than composite, but both are strong and durable.
- Treatment Time: Bonding can be completed in one appointment, while veneers require several weeks while they are crafted in an off-site laboratory.
- Duration of Results: Veneers tend to provide a consistent appearance for a longer period of time, while bonding may age and crack as time passes. Bonding often needs replacement sooner than veneers would.
- Reversibility: Bonding can be reversed, but veneers cannot. Once you switch to wearing veneers on your teeth, you cannot go back to not having veneers. In order to bond them permanently to the teeth, a small amount of enamel must be removed and the teeth cannot be “naked” again without risking damage.
- Cost: Veneers cost more than bonding, due to the fact that each veneer must be hand-crafted to fit each tooth.
- Number of teeth to be treated: Patients who want to change the look of all the teeth that show when they smile typically choose veneers. Bonding works best when it is used to make one or two teeth blend in better with your natural look.
Which is Right for Me?
If you are mostly happy with your natural smile but have a few individual teeth that could be improved upon, bonding may be the better option. Veneers can be made for one or two teeth, but they are most commonly used to create a dramatically different appearance for your smile. When you want a brand-new smile, veneers are the “go-big” option. When you want to improve the aesthetics of your natural smile, bonding can give you the smile you seek. Still not sure? Dr. Jack Haney can help you decide which treatment best suits your smile goals. To learn more about bonding and veneers (and other cosmetic dentistry services) visit our Knoxville dental office. Call 865-693-6886 to make an appointment with Knoxville cosmetic dentist Dr. Jack Haney.
