Porcelain Veneers versus Composite Veneers - Which is better?

When comparing porcelain veneers and composite veneers, the latter is less expensive. And, composite veneers can be placed slightly faster. Normally, you can walk into the dentist’s office and get the composite veneers placed and leave, all in one day.

In contrast, porcelain veneers are more expensive as they involve laboratory work to make them. But, they are more stable when taking color into consideration because the material itself is much harder and stronger than that of composite veneers.

Here are some scenarios where you may want to consider using a combination of both or use only composite veneers to start off with in order to determine whether porcelain veneers are going to be a good long-term solution.

For example, some teeth have the ability to develop a well-disguised deep decay. There might be a part of the nerve of such a tooth exposed to the decay and speculations cannot be made regarding what might happen to the nerve in the long run. If something serious happens to the nerve, a root canal procedure will be required, making it necessary to drill a hole through the brand new porcelain veneers. On the other hand, if a composite veneer was placed on it, an opportunity to assess the status of the nerve is provided. This can be done for around six to 12 months, and then you could consider investing in a porcelain veneer.

Furthermore, placing a composite veneer is ideal when a tooth that has been experiencing certain tissue or bone problems is considered. Your hygienist may tell you that the tooth will last a couple of years, or even longer depending on how healthy it can be made. Therefore, it might be beneficial to put on a composite veneer to determine what the long-term health of that tooth is going to be.

Another instance to use composite veneers is when a patient’s bite is not so good. It is inadvisable to put on a porcelain veneer on a tooth when a patient’s bite is not so ideal.

All of these points can be considered when putting on a composite veneer, which does not cost as much as porcelain veneers. At the same time, these may also be used to give us some time to determine the most suitable long-term treatment for the patient. Thus, both porcelain and composite veneers have their uses. Cost is only one of the factors to be taken into consideration. Thus, as seen above, there are many other things to consider when it comes to choosing composite veneers or porcelain veneers besides their individual cost.

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