Composite Veneers vs. Porcelain Veneers
Dental veneers have helped millions of people improve the appearance of their smiles, and you might be considering dental veneers for the same reason. The most commonly used materials for dental veneers are composite resin and porcelain, and both types of dental veneers can successfully remodel the smile, so how do you decide which material is best for your dental veneers? When comparing composite veneers and porcelain veneers, there are a few different factors you might want to think about, and your priorities should guide your decision. For example, some patients prioritize the overall cost of treatment, while others may prefer to consider the amount of time required for successful treatment; there’s no one factor that’s objectively more or less important than another when dental veneers are placed by a reputable, experienced dentist.
Composite resin veneers have some clear advantages over porcelain veneers, the most significant of which is cost. Because dental veneers are a cosmetic treatment, they’re often not covered by dental insurance, so cost matters when finances are a concern. Porcelain veneers are about twice as expensive as composite veneers, which range in price from $250 to $2,500 per tooth. When more than one tooth is being restored with a dental veneer, their cost multiplies, and this adds up rapidly when you’re paying out-of-pocket for a total redesign of your smile. The overall treatment time for composite dental veneers can also be shorter than treatment time for porcelain veneers; in some cases, composite veneers can be made and applied in the same day. The direct composite veneer treatment, which is also sometimes called composite bonding, involves sculpting composite resin directly onto the teeth, curing it with high-intensity light in between layers, shaping and resculpting until the tooth is restored to the intended effect. Once the tooth is sculpted to satisfaction, the resin is polished to a luster that helps it look like a shiny natural tooth. This makes the composite resin procedure particularly non-invasive and convenient for many patients, and, because the structure of the teeth being restored isn’t altered to accommodate the composite resin, the treatment is reversible.
While composite resin veneers clearly have many advantages, they’re nowhere near as durable as porcelain veneers. Therefore, the average lifespan of composite veneers is about five to seven years, while porcelain veneers can last as long as 15 years when properly maintained. So, even though composite veneers cost about half that of porcelain ones, they won’t last half as long. Consensus among dentists and the general public is that porcelain veneers are also the more natural-looking, aesthetically appealing choice. Because porcelain is naturally translucent, it’s very easy to make it look just like dental enamel, and, because it is highly resistant to staining and chipping, porcelain veneers maintain their lustrous appearance over the long term, while composite resin is porous and therefore susceptible to discoloration. To place porcelain veneers, at least two dental visits are necessary, so that the teeth can be measured and prepared and the veneers can be crafted in a dental lab. Some dentists have adopted chairside technologies that accelerate this process, but in general, the porcelain veneer procedure is more invasive and time-consuming than that of composite veneers. However, porcelain veneers can also be used in cases of more severe discoloration or to more significantly modify the shape of the teeth, making them the better option for substantial restorations.