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Aspen Dental dentist discussing teeth bonding versus veneers options with a patient during a consultation in a modern dental office.
01.30.2025

Teeth bonding vs. veneers

Compare teeth bonding and veneers to discover their benefits and costs for your ideal smile solution.

Aspen Dental dentist discussing teeth bonding versus veneers options with a patient during a consultation in a modern dental office.

Teeth bonding and dental veneers are two common dental treatments that offer oral health benefits and correct minor to moderate issues with your smile. While both offer unique benefits, your dentist may recommend one over the other to suit a patient’s individual needs. This article explains and compares each procedure to help you understand your cosmetic dental options.  


Teeth bonding basics

Teeth bonding is a quick, non-invasive cosmetic dental treatment that repairs minor teeth imperfections and enhances your smile. Dentists commonly perform these to: 

  • Fix small chips and cracks 

  • Correct minor discoloration 

  • Slightly alter the tooth’s shape or length 

  • Close gaps in teeth 


What is teeth bonding? 

Teeth bonding involves placing a composite, tooth-colored resin material on the tooth’s surface to fill in and cover up small imperfections. This is the same resin used in restorative dental procedures like fillings. The procedure generally takes one visit.¹ During the process, your dentist will:

  1. Discuss your goals with bonding and take X-rays if necessary to ensure you’re a good candidate. 

  2. Select a shade based on your tooth color. 

  3. Roughen your tooth and apply a conditioning liquid to it.  

  4. Carefully apply the resin to the tooth and mold it to the correct shape. 

  5. Cure the material with a special light to bond it to the tooth surface. 

  6. Polish your tooth and makes any final adjustments.


    ¹Sources: Dental Bonding. (2023). Cleveland Clinic.

Illustration from Aspen Dental explaining the teeth bonding process, including steps such as initial consultation, shade selection, tooth preparation, resin application and molding, curing with light, and polishing the tooth.

Who can get teeth bonding?

Here are some issues bonding treatments can help solve:
 

  • Gaps: Improve your smile’s look by closing gaps.

  • Misshapen teeth: Reshape uneven or short teeth to enhance your smile’s uniformity. 

  • Small chips: Smooth out and fill in a chipped area. 

  • Small cracks: Fill in and cover small cracks. 

  • Discoloration: Hide discoloration and restore your tooth’s natural color. 

Aspen Dental dentist performing teeth bonding on a patient, highlighting conditions for eligibility such as gaps, misshapen teeth, small chips, small cracks, and discoloration.

Benefits of teeth bonding

Teeth bonding offers you several benefits if you’re a good candidate for the procedure: 

  • Dual purpose: Can solve multiple problems and sometimes qualify for insurance coverage.

  • Minimally invasive: Removes almost no teeth enamel, making it a simpler and gentler option than other cosmetic procedures. 

  • Fast: Only requires one visit. 


Dental veneers basics

Diagram from Aspen Dental showing the veneers process, transforming an imperfect tooth into a perfect tooth by placing a veneer.


Dental veneers are thin porcelain shells a dentist bonds to your teeth to cover minor imperfections and damage. Dentists use these to: 

  • Cover small chips and cracks 

  • Correct moderate to severe discoloration 

  • Replace and cover up worn-down teeth/enamel 

  • Adjust misshapen or misaligned teeth 


What are dental veneers?

Dental veneers are a thin porcelain shell crafted to mimic your tooth’s natural shape, color, texture, and translucency. The dentist bonds them to your teeth. People use these to correct various issues bonding can solve but aren’t necessarily prominent enough for treatments like crowns. During the process, your dentist will:

  1. Assess your smile and discuss your goals and if you’re a good candidate. They’ll also take X-rays if needed.

  2. Remove a layer of enamel to create space for the veneer to be placed. 

  3. Take impressions and/or scans to custom-fit the veneer to your tooth. 

  4. Place a temporary veneer on the tooth. 

  5. Place the permanent veneer on the tooth during your second visit and bond it with a special adhesive. 


Veneers require two to three separate dental visits. The consultation may be done separately or on the same day as the enamel removal and impressions. Then, you may have to wait one to four weeks for the veneers to be made before returning to bond them to your teeth.  

Illustration from Aspen Dental explaining the dental veneers process, including steps such as smile assessment, tooth preparation, taking impressions, placing a temporary veneer, and bonding a permanent veneer.


Who can get dental veneers?

Veneers may be suitable for several patient scenarios. Here are some ways they can improve your teeth:

  • Chips or cracks: Cover these up to improve aesthetics and prevent tooth infection. 

  • Tooth gaps: Close larger tooth gaps, especially those that may be too large for bonding. 

  • Moderate to severe discoloration: Cover discoloration and restore a natural appearance. 

  • Misshapen or misaligned teeth: Reshape teeth or create a more symmetrical appearance by being shaped to the patient’s needs. 


Benefits of dental veneers

Dental veneers offer many benefits to patients: 

  • Aesthetic improvements: Correct more severe discoloration and cover damage, helping patients restore a natural look. 

  • Resistant to stains: Resist staining more so than tooth enamel, helping to maintain a bright and shiny smile. 
    Lifespan: Can last a long time if you take good care of them.

  • Minimal invasiveness: Remove a small amount of enamel, but the amount needed is much less than major restorations like crowns. 

  • Customization: Can be easily shaped to each patient’s needs, helping to fix minor oral health issues and create a seamless smile. 

Patient at Aspen Dental smiling during a consultation, with a list of dental veneers benefits including aesthetic improvements, stain resistance, lifespan, minimal invasiveness, and customization.


Key differences between dental bonding and veneers

Now that you know the basics of each procedure, let’s compare each across several factors to better understand how they differ and who they may work best for. 

 Comparison chart from Aspen Dental showing the differences between bonding and veneers, highlighting bonding for one visit and minor issues, and veneers for more visits and major or minor dental issues.


Procedure

Bonding is simpler, quicker, and less invasive than veneers since it only takes one visit. On the other hand, veneers involve more than one visit, entail more steps (such as impressions and fabrication), and require the dentist to remove more enamel. 


Appearance

Both procedures enhance your tooth’s appearance. However, veneers can correct more major issues, relatively speaking. For example, bonding works for the most minor of cracks, chipping, and discoloration. Veneers can cover up both major and minor discoloration and small or large amounts of damage.


What is the right choice for me?

Bonding may work best for patients who need shorter-term minor corrections and are more budget-conscious, especially if they don’t have dental insurance. For example, bonding may work well if you need minor touch-ups before an event like a wedding. 



Veneers, on the other hand, can better suit patients who are who are looking for a longer-term solution. For instance, veneers may be a better option if you have severe staining and some small damage. However, keep in mind that getting veneers for aesthetic purposes is typically not covered by insurance.

Ultimately, it’s up to you and your dentist to discuss your options and determine the right treatment for you. If you’re not sure which procedure fits your goals, schedule an appointment to assess your needs and talk over each one. 

Aspen Dental professional consulting with a patient to determine the right dental treatment option, using a tablet for explanation in a friendly office environment.

Teeth bonding vs. veneer FAQs

Does dental bonding turn yellow?

Dental bonding can possibly turn yellow over time for the same reasons natural teeth can.  Avoiding certain foods and quitting tobacco can reduce the risk of yellowing. 


Do veneers look more natural than bonding? 

Veneers look slightly more natural since they are custom-made from porcelain to mimic your tooth’s texture and translucency. Furthermore, porcelain may resist staining better than the bonding resin. 


Can you whiten bonded teeth?

You can’t whiten bonded teeth like natural teeth since the bonding material is chemically different from your natural teeth. So, it does not react to whitening agents in the same way. Instead, the bonding may need to be replaced to restore your natural tooth color. Excellent oral health habits and regular dental visits can help you prevent your bonding from yellowing. 

If you’re considering teeth bonding or veneers and want to learn more about cosmetic dental options, Aspen Dental can help. Schedule an appointment today to figure out which procedure may be right for you.

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