What Are Composite Veneers?
Composite veneers are a dental treatment used in cosmetic dentistry to enhance teeth and give you a beautiful smile. Unlike dental implants, these types of veneers require no injection or drilling, making them minimally invasive.
Composite veneers are custom thin shells made of composite materials that cover up cosmetic flaws such as discolouration, stained, crooked, chipped, small or uneven teeth. Getting new veneers can significantly improve your smile and confidence.
Composite veneers are often also called composite bonding, the difference being that composite bonding only covers part of the tooth.
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Advantages of composite veneers
Composite veneers are a great treatment option to enhance the appearance of your teeth. It’s also an affordable way to give you the smile that you’re looking for.
Here are the benefits of choosing composite veneers:
- Compared to porcelain veneers, composite veneers are much cheaper due to the lower cost of materials.
- Unlike dental crowns or implants, there is no drilling of the natural teeth required.
- Composite materials minimally affect your natural teeth as only a thin layer of enamel on the tooth surface is stripped.
- This cosmetic procedure can be completed in one visit. As a result, you can receive a smile makeover within a single day.
- It is great for people with dental anxieties since the procedure is quick and fairly painless. On most occasions, anaesthesia won’t be needed.
- It covers up many visual defects, such as discolouration, gaps or diastema, and stained, uneven, crooked, chipped, and even missing teeth.
- Composite veneers are easy to maintain. Patients simply have to follow good oral hygiene practices such as flossing, brushing their teeth, and attending routine dental check-ups.
- These veneers can be easily replaced, repaired, or removed with new composite material. In comparison, porcelain veneers are difficult to remove and typically stuck on for the remainder of their lifespan.
Disadvantages of composite veneers
When deciding between composite veneers and porcelain veneers, it’s important to know the potential disadvantages.
- Dental veneers aren’t ideal for fixing minor stains, as they can be addressed by teeth whitening procedures.
- Composite veneers can look opaque and, hence, less natural. That’s because the resin material isn’t very transparent or translucent, so it looks less natural compared to porcelain veneers.
- The composite resin material isn’t stain-resistant, meaning you may have to be careful when drinking tooth-staining foods such as wine, soda, and coffee.
- They aren’t as durable as porcelain veneers. They only last 5 to 7 years, compared to porcelain veneers, which can last up to 20 years. This means they need to be replaced once the veneers are worn down.
- Composite veneers are more susceptible to potential chips, cracks, and abrasions.
- Veneers aren’t a good fit for people with tooth decay or gum disease. In this case, a root canal will be needed first.
Composite veneers procedure
Composite veneers are made from composite resin or acrylic-resin material. The resin material is a white material that combines microscopic bits of glass and plastic.
It’s easily sculpted to fit the shape of your teeth and bonds well with a person’s teeth. Direct composite veneers can be directly applied to the teeth without any special customisation.
Before the procedure, the cosmetic dentist will clean your teeth before tooth preparation. They may have to trim down a thin layer of tooth enamel to make space for the composite resin veneers to fit on top of the teeth.
If indirect composite material veneers are used, the dentist will take X-rays and impressions of your teeth. The impressions will be sent to the dental lab where the permanent veneers are fabricated.
If you have indirect composite veneers, temporary veneers will be given in the meantime. Once the permanent ones are sent back to the dental practice, the bonding process can begin. You’ll also be able to pick out the shade that best matches your natural teeth.
The dentist will etch the teeth to help provide a rough texture and help the veneers stick better.
They will add special glue to your teeth and shine a UV light. This allows your teeth and the resin material from the veneers to bond together.
Once the procedure is over, the dentist will clean up any excess glue, polish the veneers and check to see that everything fits perfectly.
How long do composite veneers last?
Composite veneers have an average lifespan of between 5 to 7 years. Once the veneers are worn down, they require a set of replacements. However, with proper care and maintenance, patients can prolong the life of their veneers.
Your dentist will recommend proper oral hygiene practices when taking care of veneers. Maintaining good oral health is crucial since bacteria can grow on your teeth and gums and affect your veneers.
Follow these aftercare tips as a guide to extending the life of your composite veneers:
- Brush twice per day.
- Floss daily and use mouthwash.
- Avoid chewing on hard objects. This means avoiding tearing open packages with your teeth, nibbling on your nails, or teeth grinding.
- Visit the dentist bi-annually for teeth cleanings and routine check-ups.
- Make sure to use non-abrasive toothpaste.
- Since composite veneers aren’t stain-resistant, avoid tooth-staining foods such as chocolate, soda, coffee, or red wine.
- Wear a mouthguard while playing sports.
Composite veneers before and after
When considering which dental practice to choose to receive your composite veneers, it’s important to look at the dentists’ previous work. Seeing the before and after photos allows you to see their quality of work and gives you an idea of what to expect.
At Bespoke Smile, we have a depth of experience in using composite veneers to transform our patients’ smiles.
Whether you have crooked, misaligned, discoloured, small, uneven, or chipped teeth, we can help enhance the look of your teeth with composite veneers.
Composite veneers cost
In the UK, composite veneers cost between £100 to £400. Since veneers are categorised as cosmetic treatments, dental insurance policies may not cover this procedure.
Bespoke Smile offers several financing options like the Bespoke Smile Payment Plan to make it an affordable treatment for most people.
We offer a monthly repayment plan as low as £16 depending on your treatments. You can also opt for an interest-free loan to pay for the procedure.
Are you considering composite veneers?
A smile is often the first thing that people notice when meeting someone new for the first time. If you are unsatisfied with your smile, you can often feel self-conscious and less confident in social settings, especially around people you’re unfamiliar with.
Composite veneers can be an attractive treatment option for those looking for an affordable way to improve their smile. These veneers don’t require drilling or extensive tooth preparation other than tooth trimming.
They are quite painless and can be done in one visit. Composite veneers are relatively easy to maintain and only require basic dental care.
If you have one or more flawed teeth that’s making you feel self-conscious, it’s a great way to conceal the cosmetic blemish.
It’s important to visit a dental clinic you trust with a proven track record of success.
At BeSpoke Smile, we offer dozens of case studies in our Smile Gallery with the patient before and after photos. Our cosmetic dentists are experienced in helping patients with anxieties to give them the smile they deserve.
We aim to help patients feel confident and happy about their teeth. Book a consultation call today to start your journey to a beautiful smile.
BDS (Lon) MFDS RCS (Edin) PgDip ClinEd (UK)
Areas of expertise: Smile makeovers using ultra-thin porcelain veneers, smile design to restore worn teeth and advanced full mouth restorative dentistry.
“A perfect, natural, or bespoke smile is possible to achieve for anyone. There is no substitute for the feeling of confidence an individual and beautiful smile can give. We have developed techniques, which we teach to dentists across the UK and abroad, to help them better their care in their clinics. I believe in comprehensively treating every patient, to bring them up to absolute health, and then put in place maintenance to avoid patients from recurrent replacements, and further treatment. It is a passion for me to deliver an unrivalled experience and end result, which stands the test of time”
