Traditional Veneers vs. Prep-Less Veneers: Which Will Work Best for You?

Veneers are a popular and effective way to completely transform your smile by covering the fronts of teeth with thin porcelain shells. There are generally two types of veneers – traditional and no-prep veneers. Deciding which will work best for you depends on the current state of your teeth and what issues you’re hoping to fix.

Traditional Veneers vs. Prep-Less Veneer

To apply regular porcelain veneers, teeth must be lightly buffed. This allows the veneer to be placed in a way that looks most natural – preparing teeth by removing a small amount of surface enamel means that the veneers do not add extra thickness to teeth. Teeth that look bulky appear over-treated and can diminish the cosmetic effect of veneer therapy.

Prep-less veneers are ultra-thin – thinner than standard veneers. For this reason, teeth do not need to be buffed or prepared before the veneers can be placed. Because they are not as thick, no-prep veneers can be applied without making teeth look fake.

Which Veneer Therapy is Right for Me?

Veneers are capable of giving you a smile makeover and creating teeth that are bright and even-looking, but one treatment doesn’t work for all patients.  Consider the following dental conditions:

Severe Discoloration -  For enamel that cannot be brightened with teeth bleaching, veneers can give you the white smile you want. However, because prep-less veneers are so thin, they may not be opaque enough to thoroughly correct instances of severely discolored teeth. For these patients, traditional veneers provide best results.

Minor Misalignment – Veneers are sometimes called instant orthodontics because they can change shape of teeth to close gaps. When teeth are prepared and shaped prior to treatment, placing a veneer can even help change the alignment of mildly crowded teeth.

Cracks and Chips – Both no-prep and traditional veneers are capable of masking minor flaws like cracked and chipped teeth.

Un-Balanced Tooth Shape – Veneers can make too-small or oddly shaped teeth look more uniform and natural.  Prep-less veneers work best, in this instance, for patients whose teeth are not already large or bulky. In other cases, traditional veneers deliver best results.

At Hughes Dental Group, we take care to recommend the cosmetic treatment that will deliver the results you want and help address all of your dental concerns. For more information on which kind of veneer therapy is right for you, contact our Campbell, CA cosmetic dentists for your consultation.