It’s the great debate for many people looking to makeover their smile. It’s also one of the most common questions in cosmetic dentistry.
Dental bonding or porcelain veneers. How do you decide? I’ve got the answers you need. To determine which is right for you, you first have to understand their similarities and their differences.
Bonding is the application of white filling material to the front of a person’s teeth, in an effort to change the aesthetics of the tooth itself. Porcelain veneers are also designed to enhance an individual’s smile and hide dental flaws, but through the use of porcelain.
The similarities
- Whichever you choose, the results of both dental bonding and porcelain veneers will provide aesthetically pleasing results. Both procedures will enhance the overall look, shape and color of an individual’s smile.
- Both treatments require a patient’s tooth structure to be shaped prior to application. Whether bonding or veneers, each tooth has to be shaped and prepared before the material can be applied so that the natural appearance of the tooth can be maintained.
The differences
- Bonding is great for teenagers who are still growing or for relatively short-term fixes. A short-term fix would be one of those “I broke my tooth and need it fixed now because I have a plane to catch,” kind of situations. In those situations, bonding makes perfect sense, but you have to understand that bonding isn’t a permanent solution.
- Overtime, the bonding material will lose its ability to reflect light, leaving the teeth to look dead. The edges will stain, especially for those who drink colored drinks like coffee and wine.
- Porcelain veneers never stain. Using porcelain promises that your teeth will always reflect light and your tooth color will never dull.
- Bonding material will last a maximum between three and five years. Porcelain veneers will last 10 to 15 years, and if proper care can be maintained last much longer.
Dental bonding and porcelain veneers. The two share the same procedural approach, but their differences rest in the materials applied and how they maintain their appearance overtime.
Common questions in cosmetic dentistry will continue to rise, and when they do, I want you to ask them. Leave a comment here. Call my office. Reach out to me on social media.
You shouldn’t have to make assumptions about your dental health.
