When it comes to achieving a perfect smile with straight teeth, seeking help from cosmetic dentistry is the solution. The cosmetic dentistry market is expected to grow by 12.6% in the next decade. This area of dentistry involves veneers and braces. Even though both are used for straightening your teeth, both are different from each other.
In the following article, we will talk about veneers and braces, when and how they are used, and which is the best option for your teeth. Follow us through to get to know more.
Veneers
With a survival rate of 91% over a period of 20 years, veneers are tooth coverings that cover the front of your tooth. They are customized porcelain materials that help give you a straight and white smile. Veneers are the perfect option for broken, chipped or stained teeth. They help repair minor misalignments and damage to the teeth, but not crooked teeth.
There are various types of veneers:
- Porcelain veneers: A part of enamel is removed to attach them to the rough surface.
- Composite veneers: Used for mild cosmetic problems. A tooth colored resin is used.
- No-prep veneers: Less invasive; require less enamel removal.
- Removable veneers: Cover your natural teeth. Can be removed and put back in
Benefits of Veneers
- Boost confidence
Veneers can boost your confidence. You won’t need to hide your smile back once you get veneers. They help cover crooked and broken teeth, thus offering more confidence. You can smile freely without being concerned about your appearance.
- Hide imperfections
Veneers help hide imperfections such as stained teeth, crooked teeth, broken teeth, or slight misalignment of teeth. By covering these minor imperfections, they can bring a significant difference in your personality.
- Low cost
Veneers cost way less than other cosmetic dentistry options, such as invisalign and wired braces.
- Less invasive
Veneers are less invasive than other options. This is because they require minimal enamel removal from the teeth.
- Straighten your teeth
Veneers help straighten your teeth to perfection. They provide a perfectly straight and white smile that helps boost your confidence .
- No discoloration of teeth
Veneers cannot be stained and stay white for a very long time. This means, no more yellow teeth!
- Natural looking smile
Veneers offer a natural looking smile in no time! You can get yourself veneers in just two or three appointments.
- Long-lasting
They are a long lasting solution to your crooked and imperfect smile. With proper care, they can last up to 15 years.
Drawbacks
- Irreversible removal of the enamel: Once removed, the enamel cannot be put back.
- Temperature sensitive: The veneers are sensitive to high temperatures.
- Crack under pressure: Even though they are durable, they crack and chip under high pressure.
- Limitations of candidates: People who have unhealthy teeth are not the best candidates for veneers.
- Regular checkups needed: Veneers must be followed by regular dental checkups.
Braces
Braces are materials used to fix different issues such as crooked, chipped, overcrowded, or misaligned teeth. They are used to treat major imperfections. There are various types of braces, the most common ones being invisalign and metal braces.
- Invisalign: Invisalign are invisible braces that are discrete. It means that you can wear them without having to worry about anyone noticing them.
- Metal braces: Unlike invisalign, metal braces are not transparent and can be seen. They consist of metallic wires and steel bands that help align your teeth. They are visible when you smile.
Benefits
- Improved appearance: Braces help align your teeth better than any other cosmetic dentistry treatment. Let it be invisalign or metallic braces, you get an enhanced appearance with straight teeth after the treatment is completed.
- Correct misalignment: Unlike veneers, braces have the ability to correct misaligned teeth.
- Better oral health: Straight teeth offer better oral hygiene maintenance. This is because it becomes easy to brush and floss your teeth once they are straightened.
- Better chewing: Straight teeth help you chew food better.
- Less jaw pain: With proper alignment of teeth, there would be equal pressure on all sides of the jaw and hence less pain.
- Durable and long-lasting: Braces are durable and offer a long-lasting solution. They work perfectly fine under high pressure and high temperature.
Drawbacks
Even with all the benefits mentioned above, there are some drawbacks that may stop many people from considering getting braces. They are as follow:
- Pain: braces cause pain and discomfort when they are applied to the teeth.
- Difficult to maintain oral hygiene: Food can get stuck between wires and strands, making it difficult to maintain good oral hygiene.
- Irritation in tissues: Metallic braces can cause irritation in surrounding tissues.
- Food restrictions: People with braces need to stay away from certain chewy or sticky food items to avoid difficulty in cleaning.
- Self-consciousness: People may become self-conscious because of the way braces look. They get self-conscious in any social gathering because of metallic braces. This can however be fixed by using invisalign instead of metallic braces.
Veneers vs braces- which is the best choice?
Veneers and braces, even though perform the same function, are used for slightly different purposes. Here is why and when both are used.
Braces
Braces are used for:
- Crooked teeth
- Overcrowded teeth
- Gapped teeth
- Malocclusions
Veneers
Veneers are used for:
- Chipped teeth
- Broken teeth
- Spaces
- Stains
- Small teeth
- Misshapen teeth
With the above differences in their purposes, we can see that veneers are used for minor problems and minor misalignments. Meanwhile braces are used for bigger issues such as overcrowding of teeth and malocclusions.
Conclusion
In coming to an end, we can say that braces and veneers are both used for oral issues but differ slightly in their purposes. Veneers are used for minor issues whereas braces for fixing major ones.
If you are in search of a good dental clinic to treat your dental issue, look no further than Lycian Dental Clinic, where our expert professionals offer the best dental services. With free consultation and personalized treatment plans, we aim to satisfy our customers to the fullest.
