Dental crowns and bonds are cosmetic dentistry options that can correct the appearance of teeth. Both involve creating a new, artificial exterior to the tooth, but dental crowns tend to offer more general dentistry benefits than dental bonds.
Here are a few considerations when choosing between a dental crown and a bond.
Structural Weakness
Does your tooth have substantial damage from a cavity or trauma-related cracking or chipping? While bonding can cover minor damage, the way the dentist has to mold the bonding material over the existing tooth means bonds can't cover substantial damage.
Dental crowns can cover large amounts of damage that could also cause structural weakness. The crown fits down over the entire exterior of your tooth. This keeps the natural tooth safe from more damage while also improving the cosmetic appearance of the tooth.
Bonding, on the other hand, is better for teeth that only have minor exterior damage that doesn't threaten the health of the tooth. The dentist can craft the bonding material to cover the damage while leaving most of the natural tooth exposed for a better bite feel.
Size Issues
Both dental crowns and bonding require the dentist to lightly file the tooth's surface before application. Filing provides an abrasive surface that makes it easier for the cementing agents to stick.
If you have an overly small tooth, you might feel that even a slight bit of filing is going to make your problem worse. But a dental crown can help correct the difference. A dental crown is bulkier than a bond since it sits down over the whole tooth. So the crown can help build up very small teeth better than a bond.
But if you have normal to larger teeth, you might not want the extra bulk from the crown. A bond can fit much closer to your natural tooth so that it doesn't create new tooth size issues. Bonds can also be used to help close minor gaps between teeth.
Staining History
Surface stains on your tooth enamel tend to happen due to drinking coffee, tea, red wine, or tobacco usage. Teeth whitening can help fix the problem but the results are only temporary if you keep up the same staining habits. And teeth staining can affect more than just your natural teeth.
Tooth-colored dental crowns are often made out of porcelain, which is stain resistant. The resin material often used for dental bonds isn't as stain resistant. So if staining is a recurring issue, you might want to stick with crowns. Talk to a dentist, like those represented at http://adazzlingsmile.com/, for more information.
Share