Implants or veneers? Your questions shall be answered.
If your smile is a source of unhappiness, it can have a profound impact on your quality of life. Over time, teeth can chip, discolor, decay, and even fall out. Several other conditions can cause tooth decay or loss.
Fortunately, dental technology has improved hugely over the last few years. Whatever your dental problems, there’s a cosmetic restorative procedure to fix them.
The two most popular cosmetic restorations are dental implants and veneers. Find out which might work for you below.
For more information about implants, veneers, and other dental treatments, visit Kabani Dentistry.
When to Choose Implants
For people who are missing one or more or the entire teeth, or have teeth that have significant physical damage, implants may be a better option than porcelain veneers. In fact, they may be the only option. This is because when a tooth comes out, the jaw bone collapses inwards over the gap, leading to loss of jaw bone volume and reducing the size of the jaw. Jaw bone deterioration can have a serious impact not only on the appearance, but in the ability to chew and handle food.
A dental implant prevents these problems as the titanium base replaces the root of the lost tooth and prevents the jaw from contracting. These titanium screws are screwed directly into the jawbone, and a false porcelain tooth is placed on top, looking aesthetically pleasing and functioning like a normal tooth.
Dental implants are a great solution for people who have missing teeth as they have little to no impact on the remaining teeth in the mouth. They also solve other problems that come with tooth loss such as bite and chewing issues, pain from remaining teeth moving to cover gaps, and speech problems. Implants can support one or multiple teeth, so they’re a great choice if you have a part or all of a row of teeth missing.
Implants also have a long shelf-life, and can last 25 years or more if looked after properly. More than all of that, implants that restore the smile can boost confidence and self-esteem.
When to Choose Veneers
Veneers, usually made of porcelain, will also improve the appearance and aesthetics of your smile, but they do function differently from implants. While implants are used as a replacement for missing teeth, veneers fit over the surface of an existing tooth and are purely cosmetic.
Veneers are a great option for people who don’t have missing teeth, but who have teeth that are discolored, stained, chipped, or broken. They can also be used to cover gaps in the teeth (that aren’t caused by a missing tooth). They’re also much faster to be done compared to dental implants.
A word of caution – veneers that aren’t bonded correctly can shift and move, leading to food becoming trapped behind them. This can cause tooth decay in the teeth they are bonded to, so any problems with shifting veneers should be dealt with immediately.
Veneers have a shorter lifespan than implants, but can still last ten years or longer if properly cared for.