You may be suffering with teeth that have gaps, are misshapen, or discolored. The solution to fix these issues is cosmetic dentistry, and there are several techniques that are at your disposal. Here are some things to consider if you are deciding between dental crowns or veneers.

Are Your Teeth Damaged?

If the problem stems from teeth that are decaying or with large fillings that will need root canals, dental crowns will be the best option. The crowns go over the leftover natural tooth and give it coverage all the way to the gums.

Crowns also come in all types of shapes depending on the need. If you only need a partial crown to cover the front surface of a tooth, your dentist can create one for you that does just that.

Are Your Problems Only Cosmetic?

When discoloration, small gaps, or other cosmetic problems are the issue at hand, using dental veneers will be a better option. The veneers are applied directly to the front surface of the teeth, and requires the removal of a small amount of teeth enamel for the dentist to attach them. Veneers will not fix the damage caused from decay, and should only be used when the teeth are fairly healthy.

Veneers are not going to give your teeth additional strength if they are already weak from damage, but dental crowns will provide reinforcement when you bite down on food.

Do You Have a Large or Small Budget?

Overall, you'll find that dental veneers are the cheaper of the two options for cosmetic dentistry, but not by much. Dental veneers can cost as much as $2,000 for each tooth that requires veneers. For instance, if you are just using veneers to close the gap between your two front teeth, that could cost as much as $4,000.

Crowns are also up there in price, topping out around $2,500 for each crown. That does not include any other dental procedures necessary to fix the tooth though. For instance, you may need a root canal before the tooth can get a crown, which will potentially be $1,000.

Since veneers are used for healthy teeth, you can expect them to cost less overall. That said, dental insurance can help offset the cost, but only if the procedure is not purely cosmetic.

Not sure which procedure is best? Reach out to your dentist for a consultation about cosmetic dentistry procedures.