If you have crooked or misaligned teeth and are looking for that perfect smile, there are a couple of options that your cosmetic dentist may suggest to you.
The most popular choices are either using braces or opting for dental veneers. Although the treatments are very different, both will result in more beautiful smiles.
While braces primarily straighten teeth and correct anatomical misalignments like overbite, underbite, or crossbites, veneers can help fix cosmetic problems like discolouration, chips, small gaps and stains.
Like everything, both treatments have advantages and disadvantages which we’ll explore now.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of braces?
Braces are orthodontist appliances used to move teeth gradually to correct the misalignment or any bite abnormalities.
Traditional braces are composed of brackets that are attached to the front of the teeth
Arch wires are then connected to the brackets to guide teeth movement.
The advantages of braces are:
- It is a non-invasive way to give you a great smile
- It can also correct alignment issues with bite or jaws
The drawbacks are:
- Treatment takes a very long time to complete
- Long-term aftercare is required to maintain results
- Retainers are needed to prevent teeth from moving back to their original position
The advantages and disadvantages of dental veneers
Dental veneers are thin shells which are used to cover the natural tooth surface to give a shiny, bright, perfect smile.
The advantages of dental veneers are:
- It is as effective as braces to fill in small gaps between teeth
- There are fewer food restrictions compared to those using braces
- Veneers are cheaper than braces
- It takes less time to create the desired result
- Veneers are almost impossible to detect
- You can see your beautiful smile immediately after the procedure is over
The disadvantages of veneers are:
- Veneers are not permanent and will need to be replaced over time
- It is an irreversible procedure since tooth needs to be filed down to attach the veneers.
Conclusion
Both braces and dental veneers ultimately produce a beautiful smile.
If you are young and have the time and patience, you may opt for braces since this will produce a permanent solution to your uneven teeth.
But for someone older and looking for instant results, using dental veneers may be the best option.
