Dental Bonding Vs Veneers: Know The Difference

An attractive smile is easily one of the biggest aspirations when it comes to impeccable dental health. If you think that your teeth are not the most perfect for your smile, you are not the only one. You may have looked at the celebrities and have wondered how every single one of them has the most perfect set of teeth. However, you would be glad to know that not most of them actually have pearly white and shiny teeth. Well, not all the time.

With the advancement in technology and the effectiveness of dental treatments, there are a number of teeth whitening treatment options available in the world. However, a number of these treatments only work for people who have yellow teeth. For people with brown or grey teeth or the ones that are stained because of tetracycline, normal teeth whitening options do not work.

Chances are that if you have tetracycline, brown, or grey teeth, the most suitable options for you will either be veneers or dental bonding. What are these and how do they differ from each other? Scroll down to know more

What are Veneers?

Veneers are thin shells that cover the front layer of individual teeth and are primarily used for improving the appearance of the teeth. Wafer-thin and made of porcelain, veneers can add length, alter the shape, and change the colour of your teeth. Depending on the need, a person can either get just one veneer or a set of them to cover about 6 to 8 teeth so as to change the appearance of only the teeth that are visible when a person smiles or talks.

Veneers are custom made in a laboratory so they can match the rest of the teeth’s shape, length and color.

What is Dental Bonding?

Dental bonding is the procedure of applying white filling to the front surface of the teeth in order to get shining white and flawless teeth. The filling is used in order to change the size, color, shape, and consistency of the front layer of the teeth much like porcelain veneer. It is a great way for rebuilding or restructuring smile, especially if the issue in the teeth is small. In a fashion much similar to veneers, Dental bondings are also color matched with the surrounding teeth to complete their natural appearance.

Dental Bonding Vs Porcelain Veneers

Before drawing out a comparison, it must be addressed that both the methods are used for whitening the front layer of the teeth. They are both custom made for the person taking them and are long-term measures of smile repair. The difference between them, however, is that both the treatments have certain applications. Here is how dental bonding and porcelain veneers differ from each other.

Area Under Treatment

While the area under treatment remains the same for both, the range of treatment varies for both the procedure. While bonding is used for smaller irregularities, veneers are used for addressing more pronounced issues.

Preparation For Application

Before getting veneers, a small amount of the enamel on the tooth/teeth is removed, so that when the veneer is applied, it matches the thickness of the rest of the teeth. Bonding, however, requires no such preparation.

Material Used

Dental bonding makes use of a composite resin that is color matched with the rest of the teeth. veneers are custom made in a lab with the help of a ceramic called porcelain. Another thing to note here is that while porcelain veneers are stain-resistant, the material for dental bonding is not stain-resistant at all.

Longevity of Treatment

Usually, with proper care, veneers can last for a longer time than bonding. However, visiting your dentist regularly for cleaning and maintenance can even further extend this lifetime.

Cost

Although getting dental bonding costs way less, it does not have any stain-resistant properties. This may mean that alongside dental bonding, one may be in need of more cosmetic procedures to keep the teeth sparkling white. Also, bonding needs to be replaced more often than a veneer.

More important than anything in cosmetic dentistry is to talk to your dentist about the situation at hand and what solution is better as per your needs. An elaborate study and proper consultations are important before the right step is taken. This ensures a better and focused solution in cosmetic dentistry.