Clear aligners or veneers? Which is best for you?

Improving your smile can be a lot easier with modern technology that is now used in dentistry. Did you know that you can even ‘try out’ your new smile to help you decide on what is best for you?

When helping our patients to decide on which options are best for them, we like to start off by asking our clients to set some smile goals. Examples of smile goals include:

1. make my top teeth look straighter
2. make my teeth look more uneven
3. fix align my teeth better so my smile doesn’t look like it is slanting to one side
4. fix the discolouration on my front teeth
5. close up the gaps I have between my front teeth

We think it’s important we understand what our clients goals are so that we can help to best achieve them.

When it comes to deciding between clear aligners or veneers, it is helpful to discuss what each of these options can help to correct, and also what they can’t. This will help determine which option can help you to achieve your smile goals.

Clear aligners can correct:

1. Crooked teeth
2. Gaps in teeth
3. Make teeth look straighter
4. Make the smile look more even

Clear aligners cannot correct:

1. Worn teeth
2. Teeth that are discoloured
3. Teeth that are misshapen
4. Teeth that appear to look too small or too large

Veneers can correct:

1. Crooked teeth (depending on the severity)
2. Gaps in teeth
3. Make teeth look straighter
4. Make the smile more even
5. Worn teeth
6. Teeth that are discoloured
7. Teeth that are misshapen
8. Teeth that appear to look too small or too large

Veneers cannot correct:

1. Severe crowding
2. Severe gaps between teeth
3. Jaw discrepancies
4. Irregular bites e.g. Crossbite, open bites, underbites

While it may appear that veneers can correct more problems, it is important to understand that veneers are fabricated and attached to the surfaces of teeth. Their placement may necessitate the need to remove tooth structure. This is often a permanent procedure, so carries risks associated with it. We always recommend you discuss any treatment with a qualified practitioner to ensure you are making an informed decision.

Clear aligners, on the other hand, correct tooth alignment problems by moving the teeth. Whilst this has some risks associated also, there is no need to remove any tooth structure as part of this treatment.

It is also worth noting that many patients have a combination of treatment, starting with clear aligner therapy to move the teeth to their best positions. If there are still cosmetic concerns with the appearance of the teeth once they are straightened, this can still be improved with veneers. The benefit of doing this combination therapy is that because the teeth have been moved, the resulting veneer treatment can be done more minimally with little to no removal of tooth structure.

Would you like to discuss veneers and clear aligners with our Claremont dentists? Call our friendly Claremont team on 6143 5655 now. Or book online at your convenience here.

Author: Lydia