Dental Veneers vs Bonding
When comparing dental veneers vs bonding, it’s important to remember they are both viable aesthetic dental improvement solutions, but are any one of them better than the other? Each solution is designed for a specific purpose, let’s have a look at what each of those purposes is and then we’ll get into the pros and cons so that you can make an informed decision when committing to your transformative dental treatment.
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What are veneers?
A dental veneer is a cosmetic dental procedure that takes on a thin, dome-like shape, acting as a cap for your tooth. These caps are generally made from either porcelain, ceramic, or composite materials, with each varying material coming at a different cost and life expectancy to suit each person’s budge
The goal of veneers
Dental veneers are used and personalised to meet your smile goals, whether that be to camouflage stained teeth, cracks, imperfections, or misalignments. Veneers can completely transform, the aesthetic of your teeth from misshapen, uneven or discoloured to straight, smooth and your desired hue of white.
What is dental bonding?
There are two main types of dental bonding, namely direct composite bonding and adhesive bonding. Like a dental veneer, dental bonding is also a cosmetic procedure in which a broken or chipped tooth is repaired using an etchant which is a type of corrosive chemical and a medical-grade resin that hardens. This method is usually recommended to those wishing to correct problems on their front teeth or non-chewing teeth.
The goal of dental bonding
Once the resin applied to your tooth has hardened, it is polished and reshaped to restore the appearance of your natural tooth before it broke or got chipped. This method of tooth restoration can help correct slightly misaligned teeth, however, can not act as a substitute for more dramatic methods of tooth realignment or full smile restoration such as veneers.
If you are looking to have whiter teeth, the best time to have your teeth whitened is before your bonding procedure and have your dentist match the bonding resin to your white teeth. This is because the resin used for bonding will not whiten the same way your teeth will during teeth whitening.
Comparing dental veneers and bonding
| Dental veneers | Dental bonding |
Treatable issues | Aesthetically improves stains, cracks, chips, and dramatic misalignments or gaps. | Aesthetically improves cracks, chips or minor misalignments and gaps. |
Tooth preparation | Requires impressions and a professional clean before application. | Requires no preparation other than a professional clean before application. |
The number of treatments | 2 | 1 |
Duration of treatments | 1st treatment – 1 hour (Tooth shaving and taking impressions) 2nd treatment – 2 hours (Fitting and securing veneers) In total – 3 hours | 30 to 60 minutes (Resin application, polishing and reshaping) |
Application | 1. The teeth are ground down to support the natural-looking placement of veneers. 2. An impression of the ground teeth is taken in order to create snug veneers. 3. The personalised veneers are fitted and secured with medical-grade cement. | 1. A resin that matches your tooth colour is prepared. 2. The resin is moulded around the teeth. 3. A bonding agent is applied to secure the resin. 4. The resin is reshaped and polished. |
Appearance | When opting for full mouth veneers, you can select the shade of white that you would like. They are generally used to improve the cosmetic appearance of teeth, taking on a smooth, white, straight appearance. | Dental blocking is made to mimic the colour of your natural teeth. It restores your tooth to its natural shape and can camouflage slight gaps between the teeth. |
Longevity | 10 – 25 years | 3 – 10 years |
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The cost of dental veneers vs bonding
The material used for veneers and bonding is completely different, with veneers making use of higher-priced material such as porcelain and ceramic compared to bonding making use of resin, a cheaper and less durable material.
When it comes to the durability of each solution, you are indeed investing in the permanence of veneers which are considered a permanent solution to discolouration and damage as they only require replacement every 10 – 25 years depending on the option you’ve chosen.
Whereas dental bonding is only expected to last for 3 to 5 and is not stain resistant, in fact, it’s only suitable for chips, cracks or minor misalignments rather than major transformations.
Dental veneers vs bonding | The final consensus
Deciding veneers vs bonding should come down to the correction you wish to make. Sometimes a combination of the 2 tooth restoration solutions will prove more cost-effective, however, if your main goal is to improve the aesthetic appeal permanently, with whitening and evenness being of top priority to you, then investing in veneers may just be the best option for you. Book your free consultation and speak to an expert in the industry who will help you make the best decision based on your personal goals now!