You always have options when it comes to dental work. Porcelain veneers come with many advantages that make them an excellent fit for smile makeovers and cosmetic dentistry. Three of the most common situations we see in our office are people who want to: a) whiten their teeth, b) straighten their teeth, and c) fix chips, gaps, or other flaws with their teeth.
Dental Veneers vs. Teeth Whitening
Professional tooth whitening is one of the many services we offer and it can lighten your teeth up to eight shades in one visit to the office. In some cases, such as severe tetracycline stains, this whitening procedure is not enough to achieve the whiteness people want. Permanently stained teeth can be re-surfaced with veneers to make them look perfect. Best of all, the veneers themselves are stain-resistant so you won’t have the problem coming back.
Dental Veneers vs. Dental Bonding
Dental Bonding can be used to fix flaws and chips in your teeth, and even to close gaps or fix misshapen teeth. There are two issues with dental bonding: durability and quality. Dental Bonding usually lasts 3-5 years at best before it starts to chip, wear away, and look old. Porcelain Veneers on the other hand can last 15 years or longer with proper care. The quality of dental bonding has a lot to do with the skill of the dentist, but it cannot match the exact color, translucence, and other qualities of your natural teeth the way we can with porcelain veneers.
Porcelain Veneers vs. Braces
The primary issue with braces is time. It takes 1-2 years wearing the braces to get the teeth in place, and then you have to wear a retainer for the rest of your life to keep them there. Veneers are a permanent fix that can be applied in two visits, and in many cases at Dr. Maddahi’s office, this means starting on Monday and completing on Friday. While veneers are more expensive than braces, the results can be more lasting and be accomplished in a fraction of the time.