Veneers, crowns or eliners: what to choose? The dentist answered

The choice of treatment depends on the initial condition of the teeth and the goals of the patient. Russian dentist Oleg Konnikov compared modern methods of restoring a smile and explained when it is necessary to align the bite, when veneers are required, and when it is possible to do with the installation of a filling, writes sb.by.

Photo Magnific Teeth grinding under veneers: why sawing is in the past? Patients are often afraid that for the sake of a beautiful smile, their teeth will be grinded to the state of “hemp”. Modern medicine works differently: the main task of the doctor is to preserve as much native enamel as possible.

- In recent years, eight dentists around the world agree that ceramics are best glued to enamel, explains Oleg Konnikov. If you run too deep, we remove the enamel under which the dentin is located. After that, nothing will hold on the tooth. If you just polish the surface and glue the veneer, the connection will be as strong as possible. What it means for the patient: 1. Modern ultra-thin veneers require tooth processing by only 0.2-0.5 mm (the thickness of the egg shell).

2. Fixation occurs on a special composite glue, which at the molecular level binds to enamel. This design lasts for decades and protects the tooth from caries. Eliners instead of veneers: how to save teeth from prosthetics Often people turn to the orthodontist with complaints of curvature or darkening of the enamel, being sure that they will be saved only by veneers or crowns. However, the imperfect appearance of the teeth is often only a consequence of their incorrect position, which can be corrected by gentle methods.

- Sometimes, at first it seems that the smile is not very beautiful, but then a person wears eliners and sees it completely different, explains Oleg Konnikov. Teeth align, smile becomes wide, dark gaps in the corners disappear. And after alignment, the attitude to your own smile changes. If the teeth are not much erased, then the entire shape can be restored with ordinary microfills. With proper planning, it is not always necessary to finish treatment with crowns or veneers on all teeth. The significance of the bite from childhood: why fillings do not solve the problem A significant part of adult patients who today seek a comprehensive restoration of a smile, at one time had no opportunity to correct the position of the teeth in time. Previously, in dental practice, the focus was often shifted to local elimination of consequences - treatment of caries and fillings, while the root causes were not always given sufficient attention.

- If a child goes to the dentist more often than peers because of the constant need to treat caries, it is worth paying attention to his bite, notes Oleg Konnikov. Constant chipping and destruction is a clear signal that the teeth are experiencing premature and improper chewing load. Timely correction of the bite in childhood completely changes the quality and health of teeth in adulthood. The experience of the doctor shows that it is not always necessary to sharpen teeth under crowns or veneers. If they are uneven, treatment must begin with alignment. Wearing eliners puts the teeth back in place, makes the smile wide and often helps to do without complex prosthetics.

If the teeth are not erased, then after alignment, you will not have to put expensive ceramics at all. All minor defects of the form can be corrected directly at the reception with microfills. But if a patient comes to the dentist who already has large old fillings on the front teeth, it will not be possible to restore them with micromaterials. In such a situation, the work will really have to be completed by installing new veneers or crowns.