What is the difference between veneer vs braces?

1. Problems treated
2. Treatment
3. Duration of treatment
4. Maintenance and aftercare

If you have misaligned or severely stained teeth, the good news is a dentist from the best dental clinic in BGC, Taguig can help significantly improve your smile. Because of their skill and expertise in their chosen field of dentistry, you don’t have to endure difficulty chewing or even hesitate to show your grin to others. But the question is, what treatment do you need? If you want to know the difference between veneer vs braces, keep on reading to learn more!

Problems Treated

While both veneer and braces can drastically change your smile, they’re suited for different problems. Your dentist will recommend which is the best treatment for your concerns.

Veneers

If you have minor misalignments, chipping, or teeth gaps, a dentist might suggest a veneer treatment for you. While fixing small alignment issues, this procedure will also significantly improve discoloration and staining and give you pearly whites. In some cases, it can also be utilized as an alternative to orthodontic treatment such as braces.

Braces

But if you have serious alignment problems that should be fixed structurally instead of cosmetically, your dentist will recommend braces. Some common concerns include:

• Overbite or top teeth sticking too far in front of the lower teeth
• Underbite where the upper teeth bite behind your lower teeth
• Too much or not enough spacing between teeth
• Crowding when there is not much room in your mouth for all teeth

While braces can fix these problems, this treatment cannot solve staining or discoloration.

Treatment

For veneers, your doctor will be using thin shells of material and attach them to the front side of your natural teeth. Depending on whether you’re going for composite or porcelain veneers, your cosmetic dentist might sculpt this directly on your teeth surface or have it custom-made in a laboratory before application.

Because your dentist will be using a material that replicates the natural color and texture of real teeth, you will experience a significant change to your smile after the treatment.

On the other hand, braces are used to structurally fix your misalignment. Your orthodontist will put together the brackets, wires, and bands on your teeth to exert pressure on them over time. If you have crooked teeth, they will conform to the braces and straighten gradually.

If you choose an Invisalign treatment, instead of wired braces you will wear a clear and removable tooth appliance for 20-22 hours daily.

Duration of Treatment

Aside from the difference in procedure, the results provided will also differ. Because composite veneers can be sculpted directly to your teeth, you don’t have to wait for a laboratory to make it for you.

On the other hand, porcelain veneers might take 7 days to make but the treatment is usually finished in a few visits. With veneers, you can expect beautiful teeth that will last for more than a decade especially if you have them checked regularly by your dentist.

Depending on the case, the orthodontist can install the brackets within the day or he will analyze the case first (take measurements of the bone) before installing the brackets. The treatment usually takes up to a few hours but you have to come back for quick routine checkups. This way, your dentist can adjust your brackets and check the progress of your treatment.

Depending on the condition of your teeth and whether you choose traditional braces or Invisalign, treatment might last from 6 months to 3 years.

Maintenance and Aftercare

After the veneers and braces are attached to your teeth, it is your responsibility to maintain and care for them. Aside from the usual proper oral hygiene, you might have to modify your diet and bad habits too.

While veneers are durable, you don’t want to exert too much pressure when chewing your foods. That means saying goodbye to ice, hard candy, and other foods that require additional force when biting. While porcelain veneers have high stain resistance, you might also want to veer away from coffee, tea, and wine when wearing composite ones. Other than that, tobacco can also cause yellow stains when used habitually.

When it comes to braces, your bone might feel tender (because of teeth) after the installation. To minimize the ache, you should consume soft foods such as mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, and oatmeal. To ease the soreness, your orthodontist might also recommend using dental wax on wires and brackets. Once your teeth get used to wearing braces, this experience will eventually go away.

But once your braces are removed, you might have to wear removable retainers to prevent your teeth from moving again.

Key Takeaway

While veneers and braces solve different problems, both can transform your smile significantly. That’s why if you’re interested in these treatments, you can book an appointment with Casipit Dental Group! We have an expert team of orthodontists and cosmetic dentists to help you achieve your dream teeth whether you want to have veneers or braces.

If you have additional questions about veneer vs braces, the trained and experienced doctors of Casipit Dental Group can help you decide which is the ideal option for you.