Direct Veneers vs. Porcelain Veneers: Why Direct Veneers are Overwhelmingly the Best Choice

Modern dentistry uses two materials for covering unsightly teeth:  White putty-like resin which is applied directly, (hence the name direct veneers)  and porcelain. Think of a direct veneer like fingernail polish, and a porcelain veneer like a false fingernail.

With the advent of modern 5th generation white resin materials, direct veneers are indistinguishable from porcelain and overwhelmingly the best choice for great smile makeovers.  Direct veneers are like a thin coating of paint on the tooth surface. They involve no destruction of underlying tooth structure, no anesthesia,  and are easily removed at  at any future time*.  Porcelain veneers unfortunately are much thicker and require removal of one-third the  enamel surface of the tooth, irreversibly compromising it forever. (This requires standard anesthesia, “a shot of novocaine”)  There is no option to ever remove a porcelain veneer, as the tooth below was “shaved down”, and can never be left exposed. Another negative of porcelain is that it can “flake off”, sometimes repeatedly.

Direct veneers are also a third the cost of porcelain.  Please call us at Greater Boston Dental in Watertown, Massachusetts at (617) 924-7301 with questions, or to arrange a complimentary consultation and cost estimate.  Or email at [email protected].   We would love to help you with your cosmetic needs.

* Any veneer material will stain over 15-20 years.  Many patients who have direct veneers at age 25 decide to just remove them at 50.  With porcelain, the marriage is forever, forcing the patient into new veneers several times in their life.

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