What are crowns and veneers?

• A Veneer is a paper-thin, custom-made layer of composite resin or porcelain – about 1 millimeter or less in thickness – applied to the front of your existing tooth to improve your appearance.
• A Crown is a custom made cap or covering – 2mm in thickness – that encases the entire tooth surface and helps restore chipped, cracked or discolored teeth to their original shape and size.

The condition of the teeth and your ultimate goal will decide whether a crown or a veneer is right for you. Most commonly, people go for a crown or a veneer due to the following reasons.

• Chipped, cracked, or broken teeth
• Crooked teeth
• Decayed or weakened teeth
• Discolored teeth
• To restore an already broken tooth
• To hold a dental bridge in place
• To protect a weak tooth from decay or breaking
• To cover a dental implant

What’s involved with getting a veneer?

A veneer is not as invasive as a crown and only covers the front surface of your tooth. The procedure requires trimming of half a millimeter of the enamel to roughen the surface for bonding the veneer. You may need a local anesthesia to ease the pain and discomfort. Furthermore, your tooth has to have enough enamel on it for a veneer to bond and work properly.

We use a digital scanner to make an optimal impression of your tooth. Depending on the trimming, your dentist may place a temporary veneer on the tooth before the permanent one is ready. In most of the cases, temporary veneer is not required and the process is completed in a single appointment. The veneer will be attached to the front surface of the tooth with a special cement and hardened with a UV lamp.

What’s involved with getting a crown?

A crown is a cap that covers the entire tooth. It can be made from all resin, all-ceramic, porcelain-fused-to-metal, or all metal (such as gold or another alloy).

Compared to a veneer, this procedure requires extensive trimming to prepare for the crown placement. For instance, if you have a damaged tooth or a tooth decay, the damaged or decayed part of your tooth will be removed by the dentists before making the crown.  The dentist will give you a local anesthetic because the grinding process may be painful.

You no longer have to go through the process of taking impressions. We use digital scanners to scan the tooth and made imprints on it. While the permanent crown is being made, your dentist will place a temporary crown on your trimmed tooth. It will be later removed and replaced with the permanent one. The whole procedure is done in a single appointment. The new crown will be cemented into place so that it fits correctly and your bite is right.

At Chaves Dental Clinic, we provide single-day crown and veneer services to our clients. Which one suits you better will be decided during your initial consultation with our dentists – depending on the condition of your teeth. We use a new and state-of-the-art CEREC (Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic) system to make both crowns and veneers. Rather than the freehand procedure and taking impressions, the dedicated and board-certified team of dentists perform this procedure with a computerized surgical guide to increase the rate of success in the placement and reduce the complications.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment and learn more about our Fixed Bridges procedure.