Cosmetic dentistry · Porcelain Veneers When the change you want is bigger than a sliver of porcelain can fix.

This is usually the second stop for people whose no-prep consult turned up something that needed a bit more room.

Usually a good fit

• Wants the most complete possible change in shape, color or alignment
• Correction needed is more than minimal-prep can achieve
• Teeth are healthy and structurally sound underneath
• Comfortable with the most involved of the three options

Needs a closer look first

• A tooth that's had a root canal, or has darkened from within — this is the case a veneer struggles with most. A thin layer of porcelain often can't fully block a dark tooth from showing through. A crown, which fully covers the tooth, almost always handles it better. See how below.
• Large fillings, cracks, or more filling than natural tooth left — also a crown conversation
• Only a small correction actually needed — no-prep or minimal-prep may get you there with less removed

When a crown does what a veneer can't

A veneer covers the front surface of a tooth. A crown covers the whole thing. That difference matters most on a root-canaled tooth, which tends to darken from the inside out — a veneer's thin porcelain often can't fully block that discoloration, but a crown's opaque core can.

With today's materials — a zirconia core layered with hand-finished feldspathic porcelain — a crown can look every bit as natural as a veneer sitting right next to it. We've had cases with two crowns next to four veneers where even the patient couldn't tell which teeth were which once we were done.

See how we handle darkened and root-canaled teeth on the Dental Crowns page →