Composite Veneers: What They Are and What to Expect

How a composite veneer is made

A direct composite veneer can be done in one visit, and a small amount of the tooth may need to be trimmed²; sometimes none is. Even then the enamel surface is treated so that the resin can bond, so the treatment is not simply undone later. The usual steps are below.

An indirect composite veneer is shaped in a laboratory from an impression or scan and bonded at a second visit.

1. Examination: The dentist checks the teeth, gums and bite; decay and gum disease are treated first.
2. Choosing the colour: The shade is chosen with you before any work starts, because it cannot be changed after bonding.
3. Preparing the surface: The tooth is cleaned, trimmed only where needed, and treated so that the resin bonds.
4. Building up the veneer: Composite is applied in layers and hardened, then shaped to the planned outline.
5. Finishing: The surface is polished and the bite is checked and adjusted.

Who composite veneers may and may not suit

They may suit

• A worn or uneven edge, or a slight difference in shape or length. A small chip may need only a small composite repair rather than a veneer
• Small gaps between front teeth: in a two-year trial in selected patients with several gaps, there was no significant difference in two-year survival between composite and ceramic veneers, but composite edges discoloured more often³
• Worn front teeth, where composite repairs are used but patients should expect monitoring, repair or replacement over time⁴; the dentist also looks for the cause of the wear
• Discolouration that whitening has not improved

Something else may come first

• Healthy tooth, only the look bothers you: doing nothing is also an option.
• Colour only: whitening, if it suits the cause of the discolouration.
• Crowded teeth: orthodontic treatment is assessed first, because shaping crowded teeth straight with veneers takes more tooth.
• Decay or gum disease: treated before any veneer¹.

Veneers may not suit

Veneers may not be suitable if you clench or grind your teeth, or if you have gum disease². The two-year trial above excluded people who grind their teeth, so its results do not apply to them.

A root-filled tooth can have a composite veneer, but the risk is higher. In a dental-school clinic, 196 direct composite veneers in 86 patients were followed for 3.5 years on average. The yearly failure rate was 4.9% on teeth with a living nerve and 9.8% on root-filled teeth⁵. That does not make a root-filled tooth unsuitable; it is something to weigh.

How long do composite veneers last?

No study gives a reliable number of years for your own veneers. The figures below describe groups of veneers in particular studies.

• Pooled trials. A 2023 review combined 7 studies of composite veneers. Pooling the randomised trials among them, about 88 in 100 veneers (somewhere between 81 and 94) were still in place⁶; the average follow-up of the studies ranged from about 2 to 8 years. The problems reported most often were a rough surface, colour mismatch and staining at the edge; most were judged acceptable by the examining dentists, some only after further treatment. In that review, veneers built up on the tooth survived better than laboratory-made ones⁶.
• Two years, selected patients with gaps. In a double-blind trial of 120 veneers in 28 patients, about 93 in 100 composite and 95 in 100 ceramic veneers³ met the survival criteria; the difference was not significant, and composite edges discoloured more often. People who grind their teeth were excluded.
• Ten years, one practice. In a study that was not randomised, composite veneers needed repair or replacement more often than ceramic ones⁷.

The studies lean towards ceramic: the ten-year study favoured it, while the two-year trial found no significant difference. Because the longer study was not randomised, it does not prove that porcelain lasts longer in every patient, and nothing shows that the two have equal lifespans. What the studies do agree on is that composite needs looking after, and that a repair or a replacement at some point is part of the plan. How composite and porcelain compare is covered in composite or porcelain veneers.

How composite veneers fail

Any veneer, composite or porcelain, can chip, crack, wear down or come loose over time, and may need to be re-bonded, repaired or replaced¹. In a review of 17 studies of composite restorations on front teeth, not only veneers, fracture of the tooth or the restoration was the most common reason for failure⁸. When the restorations were made for appearance, failures because of colour, shape or surface staining were more common.

Other changes:

• Sensitivity. Teeth can become more sensitive because some enamel is removed².
• Staining and dulling. Coffee, tea, red wine and smoking stain composite more easily than porcelain, and the surface can lose its polish.
• A colour difference. The colour of a veneer cannot be changed after it is bonded, and your natural teeth may change colour over time², so they may stop matching.
• Chips at the edge. Small chips may be repaired; sometimes a new veneer is needed⁹.

Repair is one of composite's advantages, but it is not guaranteed to be as good as new. For defective fillings, studies comparing repair with replacement found no clear difference¹⁰, but there were only 3 studies and the certainty of the evidence was very low; they did not look at veneers.

Looking after composite veneers

• Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and clean between your teeth every day. A veneer does not protect the tooth from decay, and new decay can start at its edge.
• Do not bite nails, pens, ice or other hard objects with your front teeth.
• If your dentist gives you a night guard for clenching or grinding, wear it.
• Keep to your check-ups: good daily cleaning and regular check-ups help veneers last longer⁹. A small chip or a stained edge is easier to deal with early.
• Whitening will not lighten the veneers. If you whiten your natural teeth later, the veneers may look darker next to them.

When to see a dentist

Contact your dentist if any of these happens.

• A veneer chips, cracks, feels rough or catches at the edge
• A veneer comes off: keep it, and do not glue it back yourself
• Sensitivity that lasts more than a few weeks or keeps getting worse
• Pain that starts on its own or wakes you at night
• Bleeding, swelling or a dark line at the gum edge of a veneer
• Your bite feels high after treatment

Emergencies. Throbbing pain, facial swelling or a fever: see a dentist without waiting. Difficulty breathing or swallowing, or swelling in the mouth or neck that spreads quickly: go to an emergency department or call 112.

Frequently asked questions