Dental Veneers

• Veneer (porcelain or laminate veneer). A layer of ceramic, often less than a millimetre thick, bonded to the front of the tooth. It changes colour and shape. In most cases a thin layer of enamel is removed from the front of the tooth first. More on our porcelain veneers page. Veneers can also be made of composite; on this page, composite veneers come under bonding.
• Crown (full-coverage restoration). A cap that surrounds the tooth on every side. The tooth is reduced on all surfaces. Crowns are named after their material: lithium disilicate (often called e.max), zirconia or metal-ceramic (porcelain fused to metal).
• Composite bonding. Tooth-coloured filling material added directly to the tooth. It is often done in one appointment, usually without cutting the tooth, and needs no laboratory.
• Whitening. A chemical treatment that lightens the tooth's own colour. Nothing is added to the tooth.
• Orthodontic treatment. Braces or clear aligners move the teeth into a new position. They do not change the shape of the teeth.

A quote that names only a material, such as e.max or zirconia, does not tell you whether a tooth gets a veneer or a crown. The options below are listed from the one that removes least tooth to the one that removes most.

1. Doing nothing. If there is no underlying disease, how your teeth look is a matter of preference. Waiting is a valid option.
2. Whitening. If colour is the only concern, this should be considered first. The effect is not permanent; the colour partly returns over time and whitening is repeated.
3. Bonding. For a small chip, a worn edge, a small gap or the shape of a single tooth. It can stain over time; it is polished, repaired or redone.
4. Orthodontic treatment. For crowded, rotated or protruding teeth, it moves the teeth instead of reshaping them; some plans remove a thin layer of enamel between teeth. It takes months and needs a retainer afterwards.
5. Veneers. When you want to change both the colour and the shape of several front teeth, or when whitening or bonding does not give enough. There must be enough enamel. Usually cannot be undone.
6. A crown. For a tooth with a large loss of structure, a fracture, root canal treatment or a large filling. It is chosen when too little sound tooth remains for a filling or an onlay. Crowns and their materials are covered on our dental crowns page.

Colour only

Whitening should be considered first. How well it works depends on the cause of the discolouration. A tooth that has had root canal treatment may, in suitable conditions, be whitened from the inside. Staining from tetracycline (an antibiotic) may need longer whitening. Where whitening does not give enough, and for developmental enamel defects, bonding or veneers are considered.

A small chip, a worn edge, or the shape of one tooth

Bonding is usually the first option. If you do not like the result, or do not want the composite redone over time, veneers can be assessed.

Colour and shape together, on several front teeth

Veneers may be suitable. The conditions are enough enamel, healthy gums and no active decay. Clenching or grinding raises the risk of fracture, so in some people veneers may not be suitable. A night guard may be recommended; limited observational data¹ suggest it may lower the risk of fracture, but the protection is not certain.

Crowded, rotated or protruding teeth

Orthodontic treatment moves the teeth instead of reshaping them; some plans remove a thin layer of enamel between teeth. "Straightening" crowded teeth with veneers or crowns means removing a great deal of tooth, so orthodontic treatment is assessed first.

Large loss of structure, a fracture, root canal treatment or a large filling

A crown is a common choice; it protects a weakened tooth from breaking. Root canal treatment or a large filling does not by itself mean a crown. If enough sound tooth remains, a filling or an onlay (covering part of the biting surface) may be enough. The decision depends on the tooth that remains, its position and your bite.

Who it is not for

• Active decay or gum disease. These are treated first.
• Healthy, straight teeth that you only want whiter. Whitening, or bonding, may be enough, usually without cutting the tooth. How well whitening works depends on the cause of the discolouration.
• Teeth that are still developing. In young patients, veneers and crowns are usually postponed.
• Uncontrolled clenching and grinding. The risk of the ceramic fracturing is high; the habit and the bite are dealt with first.

This page gives general information. The option that suits you is decided at an examination, with X-rays and digital planning where needed.

These two are often confused, and the decision cannot be undone. In British media, "Turkey teeth" is a loose label for extensive cosmetic dental work, such as a full row of very white crowns or veneers. One concern raised with it is that healthy front teeth were cut down for full crowns when the patient expected veneers. The criticism is not of ceramics. It is of a plan that gave healthy teeth more treatment than they needed, without the patient understanding which treatment it was.

What a veneer removes, and what a crown removes

A veneer covers only the front surface of a tooth, a crown the entire tooth². For a veneer, usually only a thin layer of enamel is taken from the front. For a crown, the tooth is reduced on every surface, and this often goes through the enamel into the dentine beneath it. A laboratory study measured this on plastic model back teeth. Full crown preparations removed about two thirds to three quarters³ of the visible part of the tooth. That study did not measure front teeth or veneers. On a real tooth, the amount also depends on existing damage and old fillings.

The nerve of the tooth. A review pooled 37 studies of teeth that were alive at the start and then received indirect restorations such as crowns. In about 5 in every 100 of these teeth, the nerve lost its vitality⁴. In studies with more than ten years of follow-up, the figure was about 7 in 100. The review gives no separate figure for veneers, and the certainty of this evidence is low. If it happens, root canal treatment is needed to keep the tooth.

Enamel. Keeping the preparation within the enamel is one of the main factors in how long a veneer lasts. In a study of 580 veneers followed for up to 12 years, 99 in 100 survived where the preparation stayed in enamel⁵. Veneers bonded to dentine were about 10 times as likely to fail⁵. The more the tooth is cut, the less enamel is left. The figures in this section come from published studies, not from the clinic's own results.

It cannot be undone

Enamel removed for a veneer or a crown does not grow back². From then on, the tooth depends on a restoration for life, and the restoration is renewed over time. In some selected cases a veneer can be made without cutting the tooth, but this does not make the treatment reversible.

When a crown is the right choice

A crown protects a tooth that has lost much of its structure; a veneer is not enough there. A fracture or root canal treatment does not settle this on its own: what decides is how much sound tooth remains. On a healthy, straight front tooth, a crown for colour or a small fault in shape reduces the tooth for no clinical reason. Who veneers do not suit is set out under "Who it is not for" above.

Before you agree to any tooth being prepared

The British Dental Association advises that patients should be aware of the risks and alternatives to the treatment they want⁶. Before any tooth is prepared, ask:

1. Which teeth will have a veneer, which a crown, and which nothing?
2. For each crown, why is a veneer, bonding or whitening not enough for that tooth?
3. How much will be removed from each tooth, and can I have that in writing?
4. Can I see the planned shape on my teeth first, in a temporary material?

The answers should rest on the state of each tooth, not on a package or a material. A plan that gives every tooth in the mouth the same treatment needs a reason, tooth by tooth. The General Dental Council suggests talking to your own dentist⁷ before you go abroad for treatment, so show them the written plan. You can also ask a dentist in the UK for their own plan and compare the two. You can say no, or ask to stop, at any stage. Once a tooth has been prepared, that step cannot be undone and the tooth needs a restoration, so ask what would happen if treatment stopped at that point.

If earlier work has already failed or no longer looks right, see our page on replacing previous dental work.

First the treatment each tooth needs is decided, then the material. How long a restoration lasts, and what goes wrong with it, depend on more than the material. Its design, the tooth that remains, your bite and your care matter as much. People often say "zirconium", but what goes in the mouth is its oxide, zirconia.

• Lithium disilicate (often called e.max). It lets light through in a way close to a natural tooth, and is often chosen for veneers and crowns on front teeth.
• Zirconia. It is strong, and is used most often on back teeth and in bridges. A 2025 review found no long-term data for zirconia veneers; the studies it found had followed them for 2.6 years on average⁸.
• Metal-ceramic (porcelain fused to metal). The crown type followed for the longest time. A metal edge can show at the gum.

In published studies of single crowns on natural teeth, the five-year survival figures are close to one another. A 2026 review found that for monolithic (single-piece) lithium disilicate, about 98 to 99 in every 100 crowns⁹ were still in place after five years. For layered zirconia, metal-ceramic and monolithic zirconia, the figure was about 97. Similar survival does not mean similar fractures and other problems: the same review found fewer fractures and chips on single-piece crowns than on layered ones. Our sources contain no data showing that zirconia lasts longer than lithium disilicate.

Veneers and crowns on natural teeth are usually completed in two or three appointments; work on several teeth can take longer. How much tissue is removed depends on the tooth's colour, its position and the change you want. In some selected cases a veneer can be made without cutting the tooth. This does not suit everyone, and it does not mean the treatment can be undone. How the appointments fit a trip is covered in "If you live in the UK: appointments and travel".

Risks

• It cannot be undone. Tooth tissue is removed for a crown, and usually for a veneer; that tissue does not grow back². The tooth depends on a restoration for life, and the restoration is renewed over time.
• The tooth's nerve. Especially with crowns, the nerve can lose its vitality during or after preparation, and root canal treatment may be needed.
• Fracture and coming off. These are the main reasons ceramic veneers fail. A review of 25 studies found they occur mostly in the early years¹⁰. Not every small chip at the edge means a veneer has to be replaced.
• Sensitivity. Teeth can be sensitive to hot and cold after preparation. Tell a dentist if it does not settle or keeps getting worse.
• Gums. A restoration whose edge does not fit the gum well can cause gum inflammation and recession. A receding gum can expose the edge of a crown.
• Wear of the opposing tooth. Ceramic crowns can wear down the natural tooth they bite against; polishing and adjusting the bite affect this.
• Colour match. The colour of ceramic cannot be changed later, and whitening does not lighten crowns or veneers¹¹. If the neighbouring teeth are to be whitened, plan it before the colour of the veneers or crowns is chosen. Teeth whitened afterwards may no longer match.
• Decay. A veneer or crown does not protect the tooth from decay. New decay can develop at its edge or underneath it, and it is one of the main causes of late failure. Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, clean between your teeth every day, and keep check-ups at the interval set for you.

Benefits

• Ceramic is more resistant to stains and wear than composite², and keeps its shape.
• A crown protects a weakened tooth from breaking.
• Veneers change the colour and shape of several front teeth in one plan.

After the procedure, wait until the anaesthetic has worn off before eating or drinking. Mild sensitivity and tender gums are common in the first days.

Daily care

• Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, and clean between your teeth every day.
• Do not bite hard objects with your front teeth, such as fingernails, pens or ice.
• If you clench or grind your teeth, wear your night guard every night.
• Keep up regular check-ups; small chips at the edge can be corrected when they are found early.

The figures below come from published studies, not from the clinic's own results. They are results seen in studies, not promises. What happens in your mouth depends on the state of the tooth, your bite, your habits and your care. Staying in place does not mean that no repair was needed.

• Veneers. Pooled results of studies on ceramic veneers show about 94 to 97 in every 100⁸ still in place after about 10 years. Another review, which combined different glass ceramics, found about 90 in 100¹² still in place after an average of 6.5 years.
• Crowns. Of single crowns on natural teeth, about 97 to 99 in every 100⁹ are still in place after five years. The differences between materials are small.
• Metal-ceramic crowns. A series of 2,340 crowns was followed in one practice. The figures apply to the 2,211 crowns rated in good condition when they were cemented. Of these, about 97 in 100 were still in place after 10 years, and 85 after 25 years¹³. The crowns were made with a high-gold alloy in a single practice.
• Bonding. Our sources give no reliable long-term figure for bonding, so we do not give one. Composite is polished, repaired or redone at intervals.
• Whitening. The effect is not permanent¹⁴; the colour partly returns over time.

These figures come from different groups of patients and different follow-up periods. They cannot be used to compare how long a veneer and a crown last.

If you have veneers or crowns, contact a dentist if any of the following happens. While you are in Antalya, that is the clinic; once you are home, it is usually your own dentist in the UK.

• A fracture, crack or movement in a veneer or crown
• Sensitivity that does not settle, or keeps getting worse
• Pain when you bite, or a feeling that the tooth is high when you close
• Bleeding, recession or a dark line in the gum at the edge of the restoration
• A veneer or crown comes off completely: keep it, and do not try to glue it back yourself

Throbbing pain, facial swelling or a high temperature are not an expected result of a veneer or crown. See a dentist where you are without waiting for the clinic's reply. If you think you have a dental abscess, do not wait. An abscess does not go away on its own and needs urgent treatment by a dentist¹⁵. In England, the NHS advises asking for an urgent dentist appointment or getting help from NHS 111¹⁵. If you do not have a dentist or cannot get an emergency appointment, it says to call 111 or use 111 online. Elsewhere in the UK, check the urgent dental care route where you live.

Emergencies. The NHS lists the following as needing urgent medical help¹⁵. Do not wait for a dental appointment or for the clinic's reply. In the UK, call 999 or go to A&E. In Turkey, the emergency number is 112.

• Difficulty breathing, speaking or swallowing
• A lot of swelling inside your mouth
• Swelling around your eye or in your neck¹⁶
• Pain in the eye, or sudden problems with your sight
• Difficulty opening your mouth

Before you fly home

Make sure your bite has been checked, and that you have written care instructions and a written record of your treatment. If you need a night guard, make sure it has been handed over.

Once you are back in the UK

If a problem comes up that is not urgent, write to the clinic and send photographs. A dentist in the UK, usually your own, is the one who can look at it in person. In the emergencies above, do not wait for a reply.

Veneers and crowns on natural teeth usually need two or three appointments. They are usually made in a laboratory between preparing the teeth and fitting them, and you may wear temporary restorations in between. The number of days in Antalya depends on how many teeth are treated and which treatment each tooth gets. It also depends on whether decay, root canal or gum problems need treating first. If whitening is part of the plan, ask how it fits into the schedule.

Before you book, you receive a written preliminary plan based on the photographs and any X-rays you send. It sets out the appointments and how many days they need. It is not a diagnosis or a final treatment plan. The General Dental Council says you should always be assessed by a qualified dentist before being given a treatment plan and cost estimate⁷. For veneers, that assessment is the examination in Antalya. It confirms or changes the preliminary plan, and with it the days and the cost. If it changes, you receive the revised plan in writing before treatment starts. You can say no, or ask to stop, at any stage. Once a tooth has been prepared, that step cannot be undone.

Options that need no laboratory, such as bonding, or that run over months, such as orthodontic treatment, are often simpler to have near home. Veneers are not finished when you fly home. They need check-ups for as long as they are in the mouth. Before you decide, think about who will look after them in the UK (see below).

Flying. A 2023 review of flying after dental treatment suggests waiting at least 24 hours after restorative treatment¹⁷, and longer after surgical procedures. These times assume there is no pain, swelling or bleeding where you were treated. The authors note that the research is limited and comes mainly from military aviation. Treat it as a starting point for your dentist's advice, not as a rule.

Your treatment is provided by our clinic in Antalya, Turkey, and carried out there by the clinic's dentists. On this page, "we" means that clinic.

In Turkey, as in the UK, a dentist does not have to be a specialist to make veneers. Turkish law authorises every dentist¹⁸ to diagnose and treat the teeth, the gums and the tissues of the mouth and jaw. It ties the specialist title to a specialist certificate¹⁸, issued and registered by the Ministry of Health¹⁹. Prosthodontics (in Turkish, protetik diş tedavisi) is one of the dental specialties the law sets; its specialist training includes veneers, onlays and crowns²⁰. In the UK, dentists do not have to join a specialist list²¹ to practise a specialty. They may use the title "specialist" only if they are on the GDC's list, and the GDC has no specialist list for cosmetic dentistry²¹.

Ask who will examine you, prepare your teeth and fit the veneers. Ask what their title is, where they qualified, and whether they hold a Ministry-registered specialist certificate in prosthodontics. Ask for the answers in writing.

Your own dentist

The General Dental Council suggests talking to your own dentist⁷ before you go. They need to know the plan in case problems come up later. Once you are home, a problem with a veneer or crown is usually first seen by a dentist in the UK, usually your own. If you do not have one, it helps to find one before you travel.

Ask for a written record of the treatment to take back to them. It should show which teeth received a veneer, which a crown and which nothing, and the materials and products used. Ask for copies of your X-rays too. In Turkey, the health tourism regulation entitles international patients to an itemised bill. On request, they also get free copies of the records of the materials used, the tests and the imaging²². The NHS lists exchanging medical records and arranging aftercare back home²³ among the things to consider before treatment abroad.

Veneers and crowns need regular check-ups for as long as they are in the mouth. National guidance in England (NICE) says the interval between check-ups should be set for each person according to their risk²⁴ and discussed with them.

What the NHS does and does not do

If you later need NHS dental care in England or Wales, having been treated abroad does not by itself shut you out of it. An NHS dental practice that accepts you for a course of treatment, not only an urgent appointment, provides clinically necessary treatment, with your consent. This means the treatment that every NHS dental contract must offer, which may not be a new veneer. However, the NHS free-repair and replacement provisions do not apply²⁵ to work done by another provider. These are the free repair or replacement an NHS practice can give for its own work. The NHS also states that it is not liable for negligence or failure of treatment²³ when you have treatment abroad. On the NHS England routes that fund planned treatment abroad, you cannot get reimbursement for dental treatment²⁶. Ask any dentist about the cost before they repair or replace a veneer.

The NHS guidance quoted here is for England, and for England and Wales where stated. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own NHS rules, which this page does not cover. If you live there, check the arrangements with your dentist.

Travel insurance

The NHS says that most travel insurance policies will not cover you for planned treatment abroad, so you may need specialist cover²³. Tell your insurer about your plans before you book.

The General Dental Council lists questions to ask before treatment abroad⁷. Below are its questions, some of them combined, with what this page can answer today and what to ask for in writing. Question 6 is one of our own.

1. Who will carry out my treatment, and what are their qualifications? The treatment is provided by our clinic in Antalya, Turkey. Ask for the name of the dentist who will prepare your teeth and fit the veneers. Ask where they qualified and what their title is (see "Who carries out the treatment?").
2. Will the dental team speak English, or will you provide a translator? Ask who will explain your plan and your consent form to you, and in which language.
3. Are you regulated by a professional body and registered with it? In Turkey, a health facility needs an authorisation certificate²² from the Ministry of Health to treat international patients. Authorised facilities appear in a register the Ministry publishes²⁷, so you can check it yourself. The authorisation belongs to the facility, not to the dentist, and it says nothing about the result of your treatment. Ask for the treating dentist's own registration details as well. See health tourism authorisation.
4. Is the work guaranteed, are the terms in writing, and for how long do they apply? This page makes no guarantee. Ask for the clinic's written terms for remaking a veneer or crown and for handling complications, and read them before you commit. Check how long they apply, what they exclude, and what they say about a veneer that fails after you are back in the UK.
5. If there are complications, or I am unhappy with the result, who pays for further treatment, extra flights and the hotel? Is further treatment included in the cost? Ask for the answer in writing before you commit. A remade veneer usually needs laboratory time, so it can mean another trip.
6. What happens if the examination shows that veneers do not suit me? Ask before you book what you would pay in that case, and what would be refunded.
7. What aftercare do you provide, and who can I contact after the treatment? For a problem that is not urgent, you write to the clinic and send photographs. Check-ups, and problems that need someone to look in your mouth, are with a dentist in the UK. Ask which channel to use, in which language, and how quickly you can expect a reply.
8. How many times have you carried out this treatment, what are your rates of success and complications, and can you give references? The figures on this page come from published studies, not from the clinic's own results. We publish no figures of our own yet, and this page carries no patient reviews. Ask for the clinic's figures in writing, and how they were collected.
9. Do you have insurance to cover this treatment? In Turkey a facility treating international patients must take out complication insurance for surgical and interventional procedures carried out in an operating theatre²². That does not by itself tell you whether your treatment is covered, so ask which procedures in your plan, if any, fall under it. Ask too, in writing, whether the clinic or the treating dentist holds insurance for complications or errors, what it covers and whom it protects.
10. Do you have a complaints system, and can I see a copy? Ask for it before treatment. The GDC says it cannot resolve complaints or help with refunds²⁸; its investigations concern the dentists on its own register. Turkey's health tourism regulation makes the facility responsible for complications and medical malpractice arising after the health service it provided²².

The NHS names warning signs to think about before booking any treatment abroad. They are a hard sell, a lack of information, pressure to make a quick decision, no discussion of possible complications, and no mention of aftercare²⁶. Apply them to this clinic too. For veneers, we add one more: crowns on healthy front teeth, or the same treatment for every tooth, with no reason for each tooth.

This page does not show prices. A treatment plan is prepared for you after an examination. The main factors that shape it are:

• The type of treatment: whitening, bonding, veneers, crowns or orthodontic treatment
• How many teeth are treated
• The material and how it is made
• Treatment needed first: decay, gum treatment, root canal treatment
• Temporary restorations and review appointments
• The number of trips the appointments need

Ask for the plan in writing: which treatment is proposed for which tooth, why, and what is included. A plan that proposes the same treatment for every tooth needs a reason for each tooth. Ask too who pays for further treatment and extra travel if there is a complication. Ask whether the examination and any X-rays are included.

If you are comparing with a quote from a UK practice, compare what each one includes, tooth by tooth: veneer or crown, and which material.