Veneers and Crowns

Cosmetic Porcelain Dental Veneers and Crowns are used on teeth to:

  • restore and protect them
  • align and change their shape
  • close gaps
  • improve texture and colour

A dental veneer is used more commonly when the existing tooth is already strong and intact whereas a crown is used when the tooth is weakened e.g. after a large filling or root canal treatment.

A crown looks just as good as a veneer and is often made from exactly the same material. The best way to describe the difference is a veneer covers only the visible area of the tooth to preserve as much natural tooth as possible whereas a crown wraps around and covers the entire tooth to hold it all together.

Veneers and Crowns

Advantages / Disadvantages of Veneers:

  • Highly aesthetic
  • Conserve teeth structure
  • Not as strong as crowns
  • Less surface area is bonded so more likely to de-bond

Advantages / Disadvantages of Crowns:

  • Highly aesthetic
  • Cover and protect the whole tooth
  • Stronger than veneers
  • Wrapped around the entire tooth so less likely to de-bond
  • More natural tooth is removed

Our cosmetic dentists commonly provide a “hybrid” between a crown and veneer also known as a ¾ crown. This combines the advantages of both a crown and veneer.

¾ Crown Advantages:

  • Highly aesthetic
  • Conserve teeth structure
  • Stronger than veneers
  • Cover and protect more tooth
  • Wrapped around more tooth so less likely to de-bond

Our experienced cosmetic dentists will always discuss and select the best option for your teeth.  It is very common to provide a mixture of crowns, veneers and ¾ crowns in any smile makeover.