Looking for the best ways to beautifully transform your smile? If yes, then porcelain veneers and Invisalign are the best options available for improving the appearance of your teeth. However, people usually get confused between Invisalign and dental veneers. One must understand that both are completely different forms of dental treatments. No doubt, both these options come under the category of aesthetic dentistry, however, they have different use cases and their final results are also different. The difference between the two is that porcelain veneers help to make teeth appear straighter while Invisalign helps to align them.
Most dentists recommend Invisalign over porcelain veneers, the reasons you will get to know later in this blog. Let us first look at both the treatment options in detail.
Porcelain veneers
If your teeth are misshapen, and you are looking for a quick resolution then porcelain veneers are the best option to transform your smile. Porcelain veneers, also known as dental veneers or dental porcelain laminates are very thin, customized shells of tooth-colored materials used to cover the front surface of teeth. This treatment option helps to enhance the appearance of your teeth.
What issues can be resolved with porcelain veneers?
Since veneers are bonded to the front of the teeth, they help to change the color, shape, length, and size of your teeth.
As compared to resin veneers, porcelain veneers resist stains better. They also look more similar to natural teeth. If you are considering dental veneers, your dentist will suggest you the best choice of veneer material. Before applying the veneer, your dentist will first prepare your teeth, so that the veneers fit perfectly. Some of the most common oral issues that can be corrected with porcelain veneers include:
- Gaps between the teeth
- Chips, cracks, and worn areas
- Permanent stains
- Uneven, misshapen teeth
- Slightly crooked teeth
- Tooth sensitivity
Duration of the porcelain veneers treatment
If you are considering a dental veneer, it usually requires 2-3 trips to the dentist for the whole process to get completed. The dentist will customize the veneers according to the mouth and teeth and apply them on one tooth or many teeth at the same time, based on the requirement. One important thing to note here, the dentist will require reshaping your tooth surface before adding the veneer to the tooth surface. Porcelain veneers are known to stay longer. These can last for 10 years or even longer in the majority of cases.
Who are the ideal individuals for porcelain veneers?
Though your dentist can suggest to you whether you need porcelain veneers or not based on your teeth condition. People who have minor cosmetic imperfections or severely stained teeth are the best candidates for porcelain veneers. If you want to go for this treatment, you must have good oral health, no history of teeth grinding or clenching, enough tooth enamel, and moderately straight teeth. Besides, you must also practice good dental hygiene which includes brushing twice a day, flossing daily, visits to the dentist (once every 6 months) for dental checkups and cleaning. After completion of the process, it is important to keep the veneers as well as the existing teeth they are adhered to, as clean and healthy as possible.
Invisalign treatment
More than 5 million people have already used the Invisalign treatment option to straighten their teeth and enhance the appearance of their smiles. Invisalign is the best alternative to traditional bracket braces. To perform the process and rectify the appearance of your teeth, the dentist makes use of clear trays. These trays are custom-made by the dentist as per your mouth and teeth. These custom trays help in applying the right pressure and force the teeth in the right way to give them the right shape. These aligners are usually replaced weekly in most patients to allow their teeth to move into a new, more aligned position.
What issues can be resolved with the Invisalign process?
Invisalign process can help to correct an array of dental concerns such as:
- An overbite
- Under-bite
- Open-bite
- Gaps or spaces between the teeth
- Crowded or overlapped teeth, etc.
- Duration of the Invisalign treatment
The length of Invisalign treatment depends largely on the condition of the patient. However, the average treatment duration is between 6 to 12 months. Several factors can affect the duration of treatment such as the way your teeth are positioned at the start of the treatment and how well you follow all the instructions given by your dentist.
Who are the ideal candidates for Invisalign?
If you are considering Invisalign treatment, it is important to ask your dentist whether you are the right candidate for Invisalign or not. Invisalign is not the best treatment option for everyone. This option is best suitable for adults rather than children. Children who do not have all their permanent teeth are not the right candidates for the Invisalign treatment. Also, people with severe cases of malocclusion or with teeth that are severely misaligned might not be the ideal candidates for Invisalign treatment.
One important thing to keep in mind for suitable candidates for Invisalign is that to make this process successful, the candidates must follow all the recommended instructions given by their dentist. These instructions may include changing the aligners as advised by the dentist, getting follow-up check-ups every 6 weeks or as advised by the dentist, etc.
Conclusion:
So, now you know about both the popular treatment options for improving your smile, you can choose the best option based on your key requirements. It is better to consult a dentist first and convey what exactly you want. Based on your requirements, the dentist will perform an examination and will suggest you the best suitable treatment option.
Whatever option you choose, it is important to get the treatment done with the help of professionals who are experienced in performing these kinds of treatments. TruCare Dentistry is one such popular source that provides comprehensive dental care to restore beautiful and healthy smiles with the help of the most advanced technologies. If you have any queries related to any dental service, feel free to ask.