If you have problems with your teeth that require cosmetic dentistry, such as teeth that are discolored or chipped, you may be weighing your options on how to fix them. While dental veneers will do a great job at covering those cosmetic flaws of your teeth, you can also use bonding to achieve similar results. Here is what you need to know about both of these cosmetic dentistry techniques.

Bonding

The dental bonding procedure uses resin material to cover the surface of your teeth. It is capable of reshaping a tooth and filling in areas that have broken off or acting as a tooth-colored layer of material that will hide flaws on a tooth. Resin can be applied and shaped by your dentist without having any special molds made in an external lab. The color is matched to the surrounding teeth as well. A light is then used to cure the bonding material so that it is ready to use when you leave the dentist's office that same day.

Bonding is a cheap and effective way to fix cosmetic damage to teeth and works great for people that have existing issues with the enamel on their teeth. The material builds on top of the tooth's surface and can easily be repaired if the resin becomes damaged.

However, bonding material can require repair much sooner than dental veneers, with the occasional touch-up being necessary to keep your teeth looking great. This can happen from eating foods like normal since eating is hard to avoid.

Veneers

Dental veneers are thin porcelain shells that attach to the front surface of the teeth. The installation requires removing a thin layer of enamel from the teeth to make from for the veneers. The rough surface also helps attach the veneers to the teeth in a way that will last a long time. Veneers take more time to make since external labs are used to create veneers that are the right size with perfect color matching.

Veneers are going to be very durable and last a long time, making it a choice for someone that wants a long term solution to their cosmetic dental problem. If a problem happens with dental veneers in the future, it may require that the veneer structure is replaced with new material. You won't be able to have a quick repair done and be on your way with perfect teeth once again if you have dental veneers.