Cosmetic Dentistry: Dental Bonding or Veneers?

If you’re not happy with your smile because of stained, chipped, decayed, or crooked teeth, your dentist can help. Cosmetic dentistry offers a way to feel better about your smile and yourself. Several treatment options can improve your teeth’s color, shape, size, strength, or length. They include:

• Dental bonding: a procedure where a tooth-colored resin is applied to teeth and hardened with a special light.
• Veneers: thin layers of tooth-colored, composite resin (plastic) or porcelain applied over teeth.
• Crowns: a “cap” placed over a tooth.
• Orthodontia: corrects misaligned teeth using devices such as braces.
• Professional whitening: performed in a dental office, this procedure uses stronger bleaching agents and employs measures that protect the gums and teeth from damage.

Both dental bonding and porcelain veneers treat common cosmetic imperfections of teeth, but while there’s overlap in what both offer, each has unique characteristics.

Dental bonding

If the problems with your teeth don’t need extensive treatment, consider dental bonding. The resin applied to the tooth’s surface is very durable and made to match the color of existing teeth — it almost becomes part of your teeth and makes for long-lasting and natural results.

You should consider dental bonding if you want to:

• Improve discolored teeth.
• Close small gaps between teeth.
• Repair chipped, cracked, or decayed teeth.
• Improve the shape or length of teeth.
• Protect areas on the teeth exposed from a receding gum line.

Practical advantages of dental bonding include:

• They can be completed in a single appointment.
• They may not require anesthetic.
• They may not require the removal of existing tooth surface.
• They strengthen the tooth.
• They’re less expensive than veneers.
• Longevity — with proper care, bonding can last up to 15 years.

Dental veneers

Veneers provide better visual improvements because the porcelain material covers the entire tooth’s surface; however, preparation of the tooth (e.g., teeth grinding for veneers is irreversible, so you and your dentist should discuss whether veneers offer the best solution to improve your appearance.

You should consider veneers if:

• Whitening by a dental professional hasn’t removed heavy yellow, brown, or tan stains on your teeth.
• You want to conceal minor orthodontic problems.
• The tops of your teeth are flat and dull due to constant grinding or clenching and you want more stability for chewing.
• You have enamel abrasion or erosion.
• Broken or damaged teeth make it difficult to eat or speak.

Before you get veneers, you should consider the following:

• Veneers don’t change color, so this can lead to differences in the appearance of your smile when the rest of your teeth naturally change over time; however, regular visits to the dentist can help you stay on top of this issue.
• Porcelain is delicate, so veneers are more prone to chipping and cracking than crowns or fillings. If you bite your nails, grind your teeth, or chew on ice, veneers may not be the best solution if you can’t break those habits.
• Teeth can still decay under a veneer, potentially leading to root canals and crowns down the road. Veneers should not be used if you have a history of weakened enamel, gum disease, or other dental conditions.

Veneers typically last seven to 15 years before they need to be replaced.

Check your plan’s benefits to see if veneers or dental bonding are covered.