Serving patients of Erwin, Jonesborough, and Greeneville TN
You’ve never had a cavity. You’ve maintained good oral hygiene habits your whole life. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your teeth will appear perfect. It can be exceedingly frustrating when you are doing everything right and are still not seeing the results you want. At Tusculum Dental Care, we want you to be happy with your smile and confident in your oral health. Our Greeneville cosmetic dentists Dr. Nathaniel Renner and Dr. Craig Shepherd have a variety of methods they can use to fix any cosmetic concerns you have with your otherwise healthy teeth. Two such treatments are dental bonding or porcelain veneers. These two procedures are similar in their ability and versatility, but which one is the best for you? Let’s explore the difference between these two procedures.
Dental Bonding
Bonding is a free-handed sculpting technique that employs the use of composite material, like what is used for tooth-colored fillings. This material is bonded to your tooth, shaped, and then cured using a special light. The process of dental bonding is not as long-lasting as veneers, although it is less expensive than receiving porcelain restorations. Another bonus is that the entire procedure can be completed within one dental visit, with no need for a dental laboratory. Bonding is a common cosmetic dental procedure dentists use to close a small gap between teeth or repair a chipped front tooth. The composite material can be chosen in an exact shade that matches your existing teeth so that you will get the most natural-looking results.
Porcelain Veneers
Veneers are made of a hard, thin shell of porcelain custom-made at our dental lab and attached to your teeth by one of our expert cosmetic dentists at Tusculum Dental Care. The same dental porcelain used to make veneers is also used to fabricate our crowns. Veneers are permanent and provide the most consistent, beautiful appearance. Veneers are quite durable, stain-resistant, and are said to last upwards of a decade or longer. Porcelain veneers are more expensive because they are custom-made using higher quality material, but they also are more commonly used to fix multiple teeth at a time, which can be part of the difference in price. It takes two separate appointments to complete veneers, but it’s well worth the wait. In the end, you will have a Hollywood smile with perfect, white teeth.
How should you choose which is right for you?
Bonding and veneers are very similar. Both can be used to create a new appearance or correct an aesthetic flaw in your teeth. They are both versatile in correcting issues with tooth shape and size, and both can be matched to the color of your other teeth or made whiter if your goal is a brighter smile. However, there are things you may want to consider. If you want a dramatic difference in your smile, then covering all of the visible tooth structure with veneers is the way to go. If you are looking to alter a small issue and leave your natural smile mostly intact, or you want to have your appearance changed in one appointment without waiting for a follow-up visit, then bonding may be a better choice. There are pros and cons to consider for either procedure. That’s why a consultation with our cosmetic dentists in Greeneville, Dr. Renner, and Dr. Sheperd, is the first step you should take if you are considering one of these treatments.
Get a better-looking smile in Greeneville
Whether you want to learn more about bonding, veneers, or any of the other ways we use cosmetic dentistry to improve the appearance of your smile, contact Tusculum Dental Care today at (423) 639-7575. Dr. Craig Shepherd and Dr. Nathaniel Renner want to see you happy with the smile you’ve worked so hard to maintain. We’re here to serve patients located in the Greenville, Jonesborough, and Erwin, TN, area.