The short version
- A veneer covers an existing tooth. An implant replaces a missing one.
- If the tooth is there and you dislike how it looks, that is a veneer question.
- Most people asking about implants have a tooth that can still be saved.
- A damaged but present tooth usually needs a crown, which costs less than either.
- Dr. Back does not place implants. Cases needing them are referred out.
- Veneer covers
- A tooth you have
- Implant replaces
- A tooth you lost
- Damaged tooth
- Usually a crown
- Implants here
- Referred out
These two treatments get compared constantly, and the comparison is usually the wrong question. They do different jobs on different teeth.
The difference in one line
A veneer is a thin layer bonded over a tooth you still have.
An implant is a post placed in the jawbone to hold a replacement for a tooth you no longer have.
If the tooth is there and you dislike how it looks, that is a veneer question. If the tooth is gone, no veneer applies, because there is nothing to bond to.
The third option people miss
Between those two sits the case that is most common and least discussed.
A tooth that is cracked through, heavily filled, worn down or broken below the visible surface is still your tooth and is usually savable. That is a crown, which encases the whole tooth and carries the bite load. It costs less than an implant and keeps the root, which is worth more than most people realise.
People arrive asking for veneers on teeth that need crowns, and occasionally asking about implants for teeth that could be saved. Sorting that out is the entire purpose of the examination.
| Veneer | Crown | Implant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The tooth is | Present and sound | Present but damaged | Missing |
| Covers | The front surface | The whole tooth | Nothing; replaces it |
| Carries bite load | No | Yes | Yes |
| Surgery | No | No | Yes |
| Done here | Yes | Yes | Referred out |
When veneers are the answer
Veneers improve the appearance of existing teeth quickly. Bonded over the tooth, a well-made veneer looks and behaves like the tooth it covers.
The cases they suit:
- Teeth that are chipped, worn down or irregularly shaped
- Teeth uneven enough to read as crooked, where the bite itself is sound
- Staining that has not responded to whitening or bleaching
That last case brings most people in. Whitening works on stain within enamel and does nothing for a tooth discolored for structural reasons. Porcelain is what answers it.
Both veneer materials work here. Porcelain is made in a lab for one patient, resists staining, and handles light like enamel. Composite is shaped in the chair, needs little or no drilling, and is often finished in a single visit. See porcelain and composite veneers compared.
Why this practice refers implants out
Dr. Back treats the teeth you have. A case that genuinely needs implants goes to a specialist who does that work daily.
A practice that offers every treatment has a reason to find your case suitable for the ones it offers.
Saying that plainly is more useful than leaving it implied.
What decides it
Three things: the condition of the teeth now, what they have to do over the next twenty years, and what you are prepared to spend.
None of those can be settled from a photograph or a web page. Dr. Back examines the teeth and says which treatment the case actually calls for, which is regularly the less expensive one.
Sarasota Smile Design is on Clark Road in Sarasota, an easy drive from Nokomis, Osprey and Venice, open Monday to Thursday.
Call 941-927-5411, or see porcelain veneers and dental crowns.
