Veneers Vs. Crowns: Pros and Cons

The options you have walking into a dentist office can be overwhelming. Much of it comes down to how you want to look and how it fits into your budget. Not so long ago, veneers were extremely expensive and only the wealthiest could afford them. In recent years, though, the costs have come down and now people must decide between veneers and crowns.

What Are Veneers?

Veneers are going to be much thinner than crowns. They are very thin pieces of porcelain that are specifically molded to fit over your teeth. The purpose is to improve the overall look of your teeth. They can also be ordered in different materials than porcelain.

What Are Crowns?

Crowns are bigger in nature and cover the bulk of the tooth. In addition to improving the overall appearance of the tooth, they are also meant to improve the structure of the tooth. They are generally recommended after major procedures, such as a root canal.

Pros and Cons

While veneers will cover up small chips, they will not work on teeth with severe cracks or bigger chips taken out. In many cases, people will choose them to make their teeth “whiter” in appearance. Crowns, on the other hand, will cover larger cracks and problems with the tooth.

When it comes to durability, crowns have a slight advantage. In most cases, veneers will need to be replaced somewhere between seven and 15 years. Crowns are in the same ballpark, though, usually needing to be replaced in 10 to 15 years. More often than not, both treatments will be on the longer end of that scale. Something to consider, though, is that veneers tend to be easier to remove when it does come time to replace them.

Pricing and how much your insurance and supplemental insurance are going to cover will more than likely be the deciding factor for most people. Since this is considered a cosmetic procedure, there may be a waiting period before the insurance covers it, if it covers it. Depending upon how much overall work needs to be done, crowns can range from $1,000 to almost $4,000. Veneers are about the same, but slightly less on the upper end of that scale, topping out around $3,000.

Treatments such as this are rarely covered in full by your standard dental plan. To offset some of the costs, a New Hampshire discount dental plancan save you significant money on your dental bills. For more information about coverage, click here.