We live in the age of up close high definition selfie photos. It has never been more important to have your front teeth looking good for a variety of reasons. Weather you want your teeth to look their best for employment or dating, making your front teeth look good is a worth while investment in your future. 

 

Because of advances in technology of crown materials it has never been a better time to have a crown or veneer. You no longer need to have crowns like in years past where there would be metal under the crown making a dark shadow under the crown. The crown materials we have now look better and are stronger than in the past.

 

Because of advanced techniques we use when we do crowns we can help crowns last longer. Our goal is to fix the tooth right the first time so it can serve you for as long as possible. In most cases crowns will last longer than a traditional veneer. Crowns and veneers look identical: They both can look amazing. 

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The awesome thing about crowns or veneers is that you can make teeth instantly lighter and change the shapes and alignment of the teeth to improve the appearance of your smile. If there are crowded teeth or too much space between your teeth veneers or crowns can sometimes be used to correct these issues.

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Crowns typically last longer and are stronger than traditional veneers. :

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• Traditional veneers only cover the front and sides of the tooth--the advantage to this approach is that less of the tooth has to be removed in the process of making the veneers--that is the one and only advantage of a veneer over crowns. ​

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Crowns have several advantages over veneers including: 

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• Crowns are stronger because they cover the entire tooth and therefore usually last longer

• Crowns cover the entire tooth and therefore make the tooth less likely to get decay or cavities than veneers that cover only part of the tooth and then they have a margin right between the teeth where cavities commonly form making the tooth more at risk of future decay. 

• Crowns are more easily covered by insurance. 

  • While most insurance plans would consider veneers or crowns on front teeth as cosmetic and will not cover it ​if there is not another reason for doing it such as decay, large old fillings, fracture, etc. (Insurance does not cover crowns or veneers on teeth that do not have anything wrong with them.)

  • When billing insurance for a crown they are more likely to cover it than billing for a veneer  

• Crowns can be used more effectively to correct crooked, crowded, or mis-aligned teeth. Veneers can also be used in this way but you will have to remove enough tooth structure to make it possible and this defeats the one and only advantage of a veneer over a crown. 

• Crowns rely on mechanical retention and adhesive for retention where as veneers are only held in place with adhesive bonding. This mechanical retention gives crowns an advantage because they can be made with porcelains that are stronger like zirconia that work well with cement but do not have as much bonding ability. This gives us more flexibility with types of materials we can use and we can use whatever porcelain we decide would be best for your situation. 

  • Because veneers have more limitations as to what porcelains can be effectively used it makes them more likely to break. ​

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Veneers do sometimes make the most sense.  Sometimes a composite veneer is also an option.  In many cases where someone just wants teeth that are more white or they want to improve the alignment (reduce crowding or fix crooked teeth) I would recommend doing orthodontics such as invisalign or braces followed by tooth whitening as this is less invasive than doing crowns or veneers. 

 

At Copper Mountain Dental in Herriman, UT we have a lot of experience doing smile makeover crowns for those who want to improve the appearance of their teeth.  If you are looking for a cosmetic dentist "near me" or a Herriman Dentist who can help you h then call or send us a message at Copper Mountain Dental in Herriman, UT. We are experts at crowns and have perfected the technique to get excellent results in making a crown for you with the best possible techniques designed to increase the longevity of the crown. We love helping people improve their smile. 

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Call us now to set up a free consultation for cosmetic work!  Or if you would like to schedule for a regular cleaning and exam we can also discuss potential cosmetic dentistry with you at the same visit. 

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