How Do Porcelain Veneers Differ From Dental Crowns?

In comparison to a dental crown, the classic porcelain veneer is a wafer thin shell of ceramic that is bonded onto the front side of a tooth. Whereas a dental crown covers over and encases the entire tooth, a porcelain veneer just covers over the side of the tooth that shows when the person smiles. Dental crowns and porcelain veneers also differ by way of their relative thickness. The classic porcelain veneer will measure 1 millimeter in thickness or less, as opposed to a dental crown that typically measures 2 millimeters or more.

These characteristics together mean that significantly less tooth reduction is needed when a dentist prepares a tooth for a porcelain veneer as opposed to when a dental crown is made. This is a very positive thing. Less sound tooth structure is sacrificed. The preparation process is less traumatic for the tooth.

There can be a fair amount of uncertainty when trying to determine if a particular dental restoration is a porcelain veneer or a dental crown. Dr. Bannan may feel that circumstances are such that a porcelain veneer needs to be much thicker and cover over a larger percentage of a tooth than is characteristic of the classic form of this technique. Taken to an extreme, a "porcelain veneer" might be very thick (2mm or more) and cover over even as much as 3/4th's of a tooth's surface. At this point the question might be, is this restoration really a porcelain veneer or should it now be considered a dental crown (or a "three quarters" dental crown)? It is up to Dr. Bannan to make this determination. Additionally, the precise term used to refer to a dental restoration is relatively less important than the clinical purposes it fills.