Composite vs porcelain veneers: how they compare
Composite is the better fit if you want little or no enamel removed, a result in one visit and the option to repair or change your veneers later. Porcelain resists stains better, and composite may need repairs sooner. We place composite veneers.
Composite veneers are built by hand on your teeth from tooth-coloured resin, usually in one visit. Porcelain veneers are thin ceramic shells made in a dental laboratory from moulds of your teeth and bonded on at a later visit, after some enamel has been removed.
Composite vs porcelain veneers, side by side
| Point of comparison | Composite veneers | Porcelain veneers |
|---|---|---|
| How they are made | Built up in layers on the tooth, then shaped and polished in the chair; no moulds | Made in a dental laboratory from impressions (moulds) of your teeth |
| Your enamel | Little or no enamel removed | Some enamel removed, which cannot be undone |
| Visits | Usually one, of about two to three hours depending on the number of teeth | Usually two, with a few weeks of laboratory time in between; temporary veneers may be fitted |
| Staining and surface | Stains and roughens more over time; polishing brings back the shine | Resists staining, though dark food and drinks can still stain it over time |
| Lifespan evidence | No reliable single figure; the studies cited here ran for two and seven years | In a study following 186 veneers for a mean of nine years, 10 failed outright, mostly by chipping or fracture |
| If one chips | A small chip can usually be repaired in the chair | It may need replacing |
| Can it be undone? | Usually | No, for most types |
What the lifespan evidence shows
Porcelain has the longer track record. A study of 186 porcelain veneers in 35 patients, followed for a mean of nine years, recorded 10 outright failures, most of them chips or fractures. The study ended before most of the veneers had failed, so it gives no average lifespan.
Composite has been followed for shorter periods. A two-year trial in 28 patients compared the two materials directly: 93.4% of composite and 95% of ceramic veneers survived, a difference the authors did not find significant, though the composite veneers stained and roughened more often and the trial was small. A seven-year series of composite veneers made outside the mouth, a different technique from ours, found more than nine in ten still in service. Both are explained in what composite veneers cost, and how long they last, along with the daily care that keeps veneers looking good.
Which suits which situation
- Chips, worn edges, small gaps between straight teeth, or one or two teeth to change: composite. It's quicker, keeps more of your tooth and can be repaired. For one or two teeth, composite bonding may be enough.
- You want to change the colour, shape and size of several front teeth in one visit: composite.
- You'd like to keep your options open: composite. With little or no enamel removed, it can usually be redone or changed later.
- You want the most stain-resistant surface and don't mind enamel being removed and two or more visits: porcelain may suit you better.
- You grind your teeth heavily: talk to us before choosing either, and plan on wearing a night guard.
- Your teeth are crooked or crowded: neither kind moves teeth. Veneers change how teeth look, not where they sit.
At your consultation we look at your teeth and bite and tell you which of these fits you.
Questions to ask before you choose
These help you compare like with like, wherever you have the work done:
- How much enamel will be removed, and can that be undone?
- How many visits will it take, and over how long?
- What happens if a veneer chips or comes loose?
- How do I look after them, and how often will they need polishing?
If you choose composite
You choose the shade with us at your consultation. On the day, the front of each tooth is cleaned and prepared, with little or no drilling. Composite is built up in thin layers, each set hard with a curing light, then each veneer is shaped, your bite is checked and the surface is polished. If you'd like your teeth lighter overall, have them whitened first, because whitening doesn't change the colour of composite: see teeth whitening. The whole appointment is described on our composite veneers page.
If weekdays are hard, have your veneers done at Smile Aesthetics by Durban Dental Care, 18 Kenneth Kaunda Road. It's open by appointment, seven days a week, including evenings, and you book on the same phone number and WhatsApp.
Your questions about composite and porcelain veneers
Porcelain has the longer-term evidence and resists stains better. Composite usually needs more upkeep, but a chip can usually be repaired in the chair instead of the veneer being replaced.
Both can look natural when they are well made. With composite, you choose the shade with us and see the veneers shaped and polished before you leave.
Some enamel is removed for most porcelain veneers, and that cannot be undone. Composite veneers usually need little or none. With either kind, the tooth underneath can still decay if plaque is left at the edges, and teeth can be more sensitive to hot and cold afterwards.
Fees vary from practice to practice, so there is no fixed answer in rand. Look at the upkeep each kind needs over the years as well as the cost on the day; for composite, read what composite veneers cost. We go through the options for your teeth at a consultation.
Usually, yes. Composite can be added to after it has set, so a small chip is repaired by bonding new composite onto the veneer, and surface stains are polished off. A veneer that has worn or stained too much can be redone.
Talk it through at a consultation
Tell us what you'd like to change about your front teeth, and we'll go through what composite veneers can do for them.
Cosmetic treatments
Composite veneers
Change the colour, shape and size of your front teeth with thin layers of tooth-coloured composite, shaped by hand on your teeth.
Composite bonding
Repair a chipped, worn or uneven front tooth, or close a small gap, with tooth-coloured composite, usually in one visit.
Composite smile makeover
Whitening, composite veneers and bonding planned together to change the colour, shape and size of your front teeth.
More about cosmetic treatment
Composite veneers: what they cost and how long they last
What goes into the cost of composite veneers, what research says about their lifespan, and the upkeep they need.
- Cosmetic treatment
Closing a gap between your front teeth without braces
When a small gap between front teeth can be closed with composite, and when the cause needs other treatment.
- Cosmetic treatment
Teeth whitening in South Africa: dental practice, salon or home kit?
How whitening at a practice, at a salon and with home products compare, and what South African rules say.
- Cosmetic treatment
Book a composite veneer consultation
