If you’re teeth are a little crooked or crowded or have too much space in between them, you may be thinking about what you can do to get them straightened out. Sometimes crowns or veneers are used to correct cosmetic concerns with teeth. And while there are cases when crowns and veneers will be the best option and yield the best results, most cases can benefit from braces. Lining the teeth up in a more favorable position with braces can completely eliminate or greatly reduce the amount of crowns or veneers needed.
Advantages of Braces over Crowns and Veneers
In addition, braces have a few advantages over crowns and veneers. Crowns and veneers require the removal of tooth structure. It can be a very minimal amount of reduction in some cases, but lost tooth structure can never be regained.
Crowns and Veneers Require More Maintenance
The teeth that Nature gave us need to be repaired, so it goes without saying that the teeth created by dentists will need some repairing on occasion as well. With proper home care and routine dental visits, your work will last for many years, but will eventually need repair and maintenance. The nice thing about braces is that apart from regularly wearing your retainer after your teeth have been straightened, there is no maintenance involved.
Braces are More Cost-Effective than Crowns/Veneers
Depending on how many teeth you would like to involve in changing your smile, braces may be a more cost-effective way to do so since braces can move all of your teeth with one course of treatment, whereas with crowns and veneers, each tooth must be individually considered.
Braces Can Also Work In Conjunction with Crowns and Veneers
If your concern with your teeth is not so much with spacing, crowding or rotation, but more that your would like to change the shape or size, then crowns or veneers are the option that you will need. But even in such situations, braces before the crowns and veneers can drastically improve the final result.
But I’m Too Old for Braces!
A common concern for many people out of their teens that are considering braces is that they feel that it is only something for adolescents. That is certainly not true! People of all ages are concerned about how their teeth look, feel, and function. Read here to find out the many benefits of having your teeth straightened.
The image of a mouth full of metal as the only way to straighten teeth is a thing of the past. You can get braces that are removable, such as Invisalign or Inman Aligners which are clear and almost imperceptible. You simply wear the aligners for a given number of hours each day, which means you can take them out when you are in a situation where you would be more comfortable without braces on. The best part about removable braces such as Inman Aligners is that they work very quickly. The picture below is after just five weeks! This patient ended up wearing the aligners for one more week to achieve a perfect result, but this is the type of quick change that you can expect.
Summary
Whether braces or veneers are the best option for you depends on your starting point, and where you would like to end up. There are a variety of factors to consider, especially the severity of each of the concerns listed below, but here is a quick summary to get you started thinking about the changes you would like to achieve and how to get there.
| Concern | Best Corrected With |
|---|---|
| Spacing | Braces or Crowns/Veneers |
| Crowding | Braces |
| Rotation | Braces |
| Alignment | Braces |
| Shape | Crowns/Veneers |
| Size | Crowns/Veneers |
| Color | Whitening |
If you are interested in more information about your specific situation, call our office for a consult and we will be happy to discuss your options.