The short version
- Porcelain is made by a ceramist for one patient. Composite is shaped on the tooth.
- Porcelain resists staining. Composite absorbs it.
- Composite is usually one appointment. Porcelain is two, about two weeks apart.
- Composite costs considerably less and asks less of the tooth.
- Heavy coffee, tea or red wine drinkers are poor candidates for composite.
- Porcelain visits
- Two
- Composite visits
- Usually one
- Stain resistant
- Porcelain only
- Lower cost
- Composite
There is more than one kind of veneer, and the choice is not only about price. One difference drives everything else: whether the veneer is made away from the mouth or built inside it.
The difference in one line
Porcelain is made by a ceramist in a dental laboratory, for one patient, from an impression of their teeth.
Composite is a resin shaped directly onto the tooth by the dentist, in the chair, in one sitting.
Everything below follows from that.
| Porcelain | Composite | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is made | A dental lab, by a ceramist | On the tooth, in the chair |
| Appointments | Two, about two weeks apart | Usually one |
| Preparation | More reshaping and polishing | Less, sometimes minimal |
| Resists staining | Yes | No |
| Optical depth | Layered, reads like enamel | More uniform, reads flatter |
| Repair | Usually remade | Often repaired in the chair |
| Relative cost | Higher | Lower |
Porcelain
Porcelain costs the most and does the most. It covers severe cracks, wide gaps and discoloration that a thinner treatment cannot, and it holds its shade permanently.
It also asks the most of the preparation. As well as the impression, the teeth are cleaned, polished and reshaped to receive the veneer. The finished shells are bonded with a dental cement whose shade makes the final small correction to color.
What people are paying for is the finish. Fired porcelain is built up in ceramic layers, which is what lets it reflect light the way enamel does instead of sitting on the tooth like a coat of paint.
Composite
Composite is the same family of material used for white fillings. Because there is no lab stage, treatment is often finished in one visit, and because less reshaping is needed, less enamel comes off.
It corrects small gaps, chips and irregularities well, and it costs considerably less.
The trade is finish and staining. Composite does not have porcelain’s optical depth, and it takes up color from coffee, tea and red wine in a way porcelain does not. With good hygiene and some care about what you drink, it holds up.
Choosing between them
Work through these four, in order.
- What is wrong? Severe staining, wide gaps or teeth needing real reshaping point to porcelain. One chipped corner or a small gap points to composite, and there is no reason to spend more to fix less.
- How many teeth? A full set placed together needs to match each other and the face. That is a ceramist’s job. One tooth among natural neighbors is often better handled in the chair.
- What do you drink? Someone who has coffee every morning and red wine most evenings is a poor candidate for composite regardless of budget. This single question settles more cases than price does.
- What happens to your teeth at night? Grinding is hard on both materials. It does not rule either out, but it makes a night guard part of the treatment rather than an optional extra.
The cheaper material is sometimes the right answer, and a consultation that never says so is not worth much.
What neither material changes
Both are cosmetic. Neither treats decay or gum disease, and neither protects the tooth it covers. Anything affecting the health of the tooth is treated before the veneer goes on.
How long each lasts, and what shortens them, is in how long veneers last. What the appointments actually involve is in what happens at a veneer appointment.
Getting an answer for your teeth
Dr. Back examines the teeth and the bite before recommending either material. Sarasota Smile Design is on Clark Road in Sarasota, a straightforward drive from Nokomis, Osprey and Venice, open Monday to Thursday.
Call 941-927-5411, or see porcelain veneers and composite veneers.
