Dental veneers, crowns and bridges are common dental treatments that can help you get your dental health back on track and boost your confidence. But which treatment is the right one for you? While your local dentist will determine whether a veneer, crown or dental bridge is the right treatment for your dental requirements, it’s advantageous to understand the differences, the processes, what’s involved and how each treatment could benefit you.

Dental Veneers

Dental veneers are one of the most common cosmetic dental procedures performed today, with porcelain veneers the popular variety. Unlike crowns and dental bridges, veneers are a strictly cosmetic dental procedure that involves your dentist fitting a thin shell over the front and sides of the tooth. This covers a wide range of dental imperfections and is suitable for:

  • Chipped or cracked teeth
  • Slightly crooked teeth
  • Gaps between teeth
  • Stained teeth.

As they’re a cosmetic dental procedure, dental veneers won’t improve your oral health or restore eating functionality, however, many people find them instrumental in boosting their confidence by restoring their smile.

Main benefits: Hiding minor imperfections in teeth and boosting self-confidence with a more attractive smile.

Crowns

Dental crowns are a treatment used to cover a damaged tooth (saving it from extraction) and are an effective means of preventing further damage to the tooth and restoring eating functionality. They’re also used as a cosmetic procedure to improve appearance and can be used to cover cracked, chipped or discoloured teeth. The process is quick and simple; the crown is fitted and cemented over the damaged tooth and is used in cases where a damaged tooth can’t be restored with a filling.

Main benefits: Saving the tooth from extraction, preventing further damage to the tooth, restoring eating functionality (if affected) and covering cosmetic imperfections.

Dental Bridges

Dental bridges are the most extensive dental treatment of the three. While dental veneers cover imperfections like cracks or chips and dental crowns are fitted on top of a single tooth, a dental bridge fills the spaces left by one or more missing teeth. Filling the spaces left by missing teeth helps people eat better (and enjoy eating), prevents facial misalignment (sunken cheeks, for example) and can boost self-confidence with a restored smile.

A variety of dental bridges are available, with the most common type consisting of a crown at both ends of the bridge that are placed over the teeth either side of the gap. Other dental bridges involve a more extensive process and require dental implants which hold the bridge in place. These dental bridges are used to fill the spaces left by multiple missing teeth and can even be used to replace the entire row of teeth on the upper or lower jaw.

Main benefits: Filling spaces left by missing teeth, restoring eating functionality, maintaining facial shape and boosting confidence by restoring a natural smile.

To book an appointment at our family dental clinic or find out more about veneers, crowns, dental bridges and the other dental services we offer, please contact King Street Dental Group on (03) 8842 4506 or book an appointment online.