Porcelain Veneers
Does your smile have noticeable craze lines, chips, or stains? Perhaps gaps between teeth? These are all conditions that can be successfully treated with porcelain veneers. Dental veneers are an excellent way to improve the appearance of your smile.
Veneers are thin shells of porcelain that are cemented onto the outer surfaces of teeth in order to correct flaws. What's great about veneers is that they can be shaped and tinted to perfectly match your natural teeth.
What are porcelain veneers like?
There are a few things you should know when you undergo cosmetic treatments with porcelain veneers. For one, a half-millimeter of tooth enamel must be removed in order for the veneers to be applied. Therefore, your natural tooth enamel is permanently altered. Porcelain veneers are also expensive; depending on the location of the procedure and the materials used, you can expect to pay somewhere between $500 to $1,300 for each tooth.
Dental Bonding
If porcelain veneers are outside of your budget, you may want to consider dental bonding. Dental bonding uses a tooth-colored, moldable resin that is cured with an ultraviolet light until it becomes hardened and durable. Once the bond has set the dentist can shape and contour the material to achieve the desired esthetic result.
The one esthetic drawback of bonded teeth is that the material does not have the same opalescence as natural teeth or porcelain veneers. But, dental bonding procedures are faster and far less expensive when compared to porcelain veneers. The per-tooth cost of dental bonding is usually around $150 to $400. For these reasons, they are usually the first choice for individuals who have chipped a tooth and are looking for a quick cosmetic fix. Most dental bonding sessions last less than an hour.
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are both restorative and cosmetic procedures. They can be used to reinforce a compromised tooth, or even replace a missing tooth when paired with a dental implant. Cosmetic dental crowns are a great option for persons with misaligned, misshapen, or discolored teeth. Dental crown procedures do remove more of the enamel, but this might actually be desirable in instances where a crown is being used to correct misshapen teeth.