Hi, I’m Dr Peter Poulos, your Sydney Cosmetic Dentist here at Bondi Junction in Sydney.

This morning, our patient Nick from Bondi, came in for a smile consultation. He wants to lengthen and even out his smile, as his teeth are quite worn from grinding over the years. During our conversation, he said, “I did a little bit of research about dental veneers. And I read about porcelain veneers and composite veneers. What are the pros and cons of each?”

This is another one of the common questions we get from our veneer patients, so I thought I’d make a short video about the pros and cons of porcelain and composite veneers.

At Sydney Cosmetic Dentist, we rarely do composite veneers as a final treatment modality for patient. And if we do, I only incorporate them as a short-term option during the rehabilitation of the full mouth, or if we have other issues that we’re trying to address, before engaging the veneer option.

The reason for this is quite simple. When it comes down to composite versus porcelain, composite by virtue of the material is inferior or it’s not as good as porcelain in every aspect.

With composite, the material itself usually gets applied directly to the tooth surface inside the mouth. Now, depending on how skilled the dentist is in applying that composite, and depending on their technique, there can be an element of shrinkage with composite. With shrinkage, you can get rot that can set in underneath that composite material.

Now, this rot can damage your natural tooth, and then you may have further problems and complications that you’ll have to deal with. Things such as larger fillings underneath, conversions to crowns, having a root canal, or in some extreme cases that I’ve seen, an extraction and an implant.

By applying directly onto the tooth surface, the finishing line of the composite along the gumline is not as precise as what porcelain would be. Porcelain gets fabricated by a master technician on a model outside of the mouth. Now, if the direct composite is not placed well, it can irritate your gums due to a bad fit. These areas of ill-fitting composite around the edges of the tooth and also around the gum can cause plaque and bacteria to stick. Now, this can contribute to the rot that we mentioned before, but it can also contribute to bad breath, further disease, gum and bone loss.

Now, composites, by nature, are also a much weaker material. They can chip, they can break easily, especially if you’re a person with a heavy bite. You will be up for constant repairs and financial outlay to maintain these composites. Now, composite can also cause premature staining on the surface, and again, in between the teeth. So aesthetically, they’re not going to look as good as what the porcelain will.

Whilst there are many composite materials that can be used, in most cases, it won’t look as natural as what porcelain will, essentially when porcelain is being made by a master technician out of the mouth.

So you can see some of the issues already that come up when it comes to porcelain versus composite.

Porcelain veneers, especially within the Perfect 10™ veneer system that I have developed, are individual, handcrafted tooth recreations, basically, that are crafted outside of your mouth.

They are done in our certified laboratory by a selected master technician. When it’s done in such a way, we can achieve all of the things that I previously mentioned that composite simply cannot.

So first of all, we can get the margins or the joins that are really, really nice. This is where the porcelain meets the tooth along the gum line. My master technician will recreate this join under a microscope.

Porcelain, in combination with slight preparation of the tooth surface, will give you unbelievable colour enhancement that will create naturally-inspired features, will consistently maintain the attention-seeking colour if that’s what you’re in to, will give you strength, it’s so strong, and will also give you the most important aspect, which is a Precision 3 dimensional fit.

And most importantly, it’s going to give you a sore face because you’re going to be smiling so much ’cause you’re going to love them!

So as you can see, there is a more detailed process involved with porcelain veneers. Yes, they are more expensive, but it is also proportionate to the work involved and the result that you will get with porcelain over composite in both the short and long term.

I hope you now have a greater understanding of porcelain versus composite veneers. If you have been thinking about upgrading your smile with dental veneers, we’d love to look after you.

Simply call us on 02 9369 1236, complete the form on the website, or send us a message on social media, and we’ll be in touch to help you organise a consultation. See you in our next video!

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