Composite or Porcelain Veneers? A South Surrey Dentist on How to Choose
Updated: 4 days ago
A dental veneer is a thin layer of composite resin or porcelain bonded to the front surface of a tooth to change its shape, colour or alignment. Composite veneers are built directly on the tooth in one visit. Porcelain veneers are made in a lab and bonded on at a second visit. Both are cosmetic, and neither is covered by the Canadian Dental Care Plan.
Hmm, I would like to have some veneers on my teeth. But which type do I go for? Do I do the composite veneers? I hear they are nice and quick and not too costly. Or do I go with the porcelain veneers? I know they are a little bit more costly, but I heard they are longer lasting. Which one should I choose? So let's talk a little bit more about it. My name is Dr. Kevin Zhang. This is Meraki Dental in South Surrey.
The short version
• Composite veneers: one visit, bonded straight onto the tooth, little or no enamel removed, often no freezing. They stain and chip sooner, and they are repairable.
• Porcelain veneers: two visits, about 0.6 to 0.8 mm of the front surface prepared, which is minimal prep, lab-made, longer lasting. The enamel removed does not come back.
• There is no one solution that fits everyone. Veneers do not work on everyone, and you may not need the comprehensive treatment when a simpler fix is more than sufficient.
• A veneer consultation at Meraki Dental is a free consultation, 30 to 60 minutes, and you leave with a written plan.
Written by Dr. Kevin Zhang, general dentist and co-owner at Meraki Dental in South Surrey, and reviewed with Dr. Vivian Huang on 16 September 2026. Clinical figures checked against the published studies named below.
Start here: do you actually need veneers?
Two questions about what is actually bothering you, and it will tell you straight, including when the honest answer is whitening, bonding one tooth, or straightening instead. Then read the rest if you want the detail behind it.
What is a dental veneer?
A veneer covers the front of a tooth. That is the whole idea. It can close a small gap, hide a chip, even out a tooth that is shorter than its neighbour, or change the colour of teeth that whitening will not shift. Where composite and porcelain differ is in what they are made of, how they get onto the tooth, and how long they stay looking the way they did on day one.
What each one asks of the tooth. Composite sits on the surface; porcelain replaces a thin layer of it.
How often do I actually place veneers?
Not that often, and I think it is worth saying out loud. I do two to four sets of porcelain veneers in a year. Composite comes up more, maybe one or two cases a month. Those are small numbers for a treatment the internet talks about constantly, and the reason is simple: a lot of people who come in asking for veneers turn out not to need them.
Really, there is no one solution that fits everyone. Veneers do not work on everyone, and you may not need the comprehensive treatment. Some simpler fixes are more than sufficient.
That is the honest summary of this whole post. The rest of it is how I work out which one you are, and what I would say to you at the chair.
Composite veneers: what actually happens
One visit. Composite veneers are done fairly fast. We can finish everything in one session, there is no second session, and most of the time there is not even freezing needed. The resin is bonded onto the front surfaces of the teeth and shaped by hand while you are in the chair, so you walk out with the result the same day.
The downside of composite veneers is that they do not tend to last as long. Resin picks up stain from coffee, tea and red wine, and it can chip at the edge if you bite something hard. The upside of that downside: a chipped composite veneer is usually repaired in one short visit, which a porcelain veneer is not. If you want to see what we do with composite on a single tooth, our dental bonding page shows the same material used for chips and gaps.
Porcelain veneers: what actually happens
Two visits. At the first, we prepare the front surface of each tooth. We are still not talking about shaving them down to really small teeth or preparing very heavily. Most of the time it is about 0.6 to 0.8 of a millimetre, so 0.8 millimetre, which is really quite thin. We take impressions and the lab makes the veneers. At the second visit, usually a couple of weeks later, we bond them on.
When you see the words minimal prep on a dental website, that range is what it should mean. Zero-prep veneers exist, but a veneer that adds thickness without removing any has to sit proud of the tooth, and on the wrong tooth that reads as bulky. Which one suits you is a decision about your teeth, not a policy we apply to everyone.
A word on the lab, because it changes what you pay. We work with regular dental labs rather than a proprietary overseas veneer system. The technicians are excellent, the material is a well-established porcelain, and the cost stays more reasonable for you than a branded system would be. You are paying for the tooth in front of you, not for a trademark.
I will say the honest part plainly, because it is the part people are not always told. The enamel that comes off for a porcelain veneer does not grow back. A tooth that has had a porcelain veneer will always need a veneer or a crown on it from then on. That is why I would rather you choose porcelain knowing that than find out later. In return you get a material that holds its colour, resists stain, and lasts longer.
Here is the whole thing end to end, if you would rather see it laid out before you commit to a conversation about it.
Which lasts longer, composite or porcelain?
Porcelain, and it is not close. I could tell you that from the chair, but it is better coming from people who followed veneers for years and counted. A 10-year study of 1,459 veneers placed in one private practice found that composite veneers failed outright at 4.1% per year against 1.2% for ceramic, and needed repair or replacement at 10% per year against 2.8%. Composite veneers were four times as likely to fail. Separately, a meta-analysis of porcelain veneers bonded to enamel found 95.7% still in place at 5 years and an estimated 95.6% at 10 years, and one practice that followed its porcelain veneers for 21 years found 96% still in place at 10 years and 91% at 20.
Lower is better. Composite is repairable, which is why its repair line is high and its replacement line is lower.
Sources: Mazzetti T et al., 10-year practice-based evaluation of ceramic and direct composite veneers, Dental Materials, 2022. Layton DM, Clarke M, Walton TR, systematic review and meta-analysis of feldspathic porcelain veneer survival over 5 and 10 years, International Journal of Prosthodontics, 2012. Layton DM, Walton TR, the up to 21-year clinical outcome and survival of feldspathic porcelain veneers, International Journal of Prosthodontics, 2012.
Two things those numbers do not say. First, a veneer that is still in place is not always a veneer that still looks good, and composite is the one that drifts. Second, the biggest variable is you: grinding, nail biting, opening packets with your teeth. A night guard for a grinder does more for a set of veneers than any material choice.
Which one should I choose?
It depends on what you are fixing and how long you want it to last. Here is how I actually walk it through at a consultation. The options are in order of what they ask of your tooth, and the first one is doing nothing.
Option | What comes off the tooth | Visits | Where it fits |
Leave it, or whiten first | Nothing removed | None to one | Right for you if the colour is the real issue. Whitening and a polish fix more smiles than people expect. |
Bond a chip or a gap | Little or none | One | A single chipped edge or a small gap often needs composite bonding on that tooth, not a set of veneers. |
Composite veneers | Little or none | One | Shaped in the chair, often no freezing. Stains and chips sooner. Repairable. The lighter commitment. |
Porcelain veneers | About 0.6 to 0.8 mm of enamel | Two | Lab-made, longer lasting, more stable colour. The enamel removed does not come back. The longer commitment. |
Not sure which row is you? The two-question guide at the top of this page will tell you.
A few honest rules of thumb from my side of the chair. If the only problem is colour, try whitening first. If the problem is crowding or a tooth that sits back, Invisalign moves the tooth instead of covering it, and you keep all your enamel. If it is one chip, bond one tooth. Composite veneers make sense when you want a real change today with the lightest commitment, and you accept touch-ups. Porcelain makes sense when you have decided, you want it to last, and you understand the trade.
Not sure which one your teeth need?
30 to 60 minutes, no cost, and you leave with a written plan.
Does insurance or the CDCP cover veneers?
No. Veneers are cosmetic treatment, and the Canadian Dental Care Plan lists veneers in composite or ceramic on its exclusions list, alongside teeth whitening. Most private plans treat them the same way. What a plan will often cover is a filling, and a chipped front tooth sometimes needs a filling rather than a veneer. We tell you which at the consultation, and you can book that consultation online at no cost. If you are on the CDCP, our guide to what the CDCP covers walks through the rest.
Veneers at Meraki Dental in South Surrey
A few practical things, since people ask them at the front desk:
A free consultation, and a proper one. It runs 30 to 60 minutes, not a quick look in the doorway. Photos, a look at your bite, the options laid out, and a written plan you take away.
Two dentists who do this work: Dr. Vivian Huang and me, Dr. Kevin Zhang. Dr. Vivian is in Tuesday and Thursday, I am in Wednesday and Saturday. Composite is shaped by hand, so who does it matters.
Regular dental labs, not a proprietary overseas system. Well-established porcelain, technicians we know, and a more reasonable cost for you.
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm. Composite veneers fit in a single Saturday morning.
Payment plans accepted, as listed on our Google profile. Ask at the consultation.
2940 King George Blvd, Unit 100, Surrey, BC V4P 0E4. Free parking on site and on the street.
Dr. Kevin Zhang and Dr. Vivian Huang. Please come in and let's have a chat.
Want to see your options side by side, on your own teeth?
Frequently asked questions
The ones I get asked most. If yours is not here, ask us. There is no obligation in a consultation.
How much tooth is removed for porcelain veneers?
In my own porcelain cases, about 0.6 to 0.8 of a millimetre from the front surface. That is minimal prep, and it is really quite thin. It is not shaving teeth down to pegs. The enamel does not grow back, though, so a porcelain veneer is a decision you make once. Composite usually needs little or no enamel removed at all.
Do you do a lot of veneer cases?
I place two to four sets of porcelain veneers a year and one or two composite cases a month. Those are modest numbers for a treatment the internet talks about constantly. A good share of the people who book a veneer consultation here leave with a smaller plan, because whitening, bonding one tooth or straightening was what their teeth actually needed.
How do I know if I need veneers or something simpler?
There is a two-question guide near the top of this page that will tell you. It asks what actually bothers you about your smile, then points you at whitening, bonding one tooth, straightening, composite or porcelain, whichever genuinely fits. Plenty of people land on something smaller than veneers. Either way the consultation is free and you leave with a written plan.
Do composite veneers hurt?
Most of the time, no freezing is needed for composite veneers. The resin is bonded onto the front surface of the tooth and shaped in the chair, and there is very little preparation. Porcelain veneers involve preparing the tooth, so we freeze the area first. Most patients are comfortable throughout either appointment. Tell us if you are anxious and we will plan around it.
How many visits do veneers take at Meraki Dental?
Composite veneers are done in one session at our South Surrey clinic. There is no second appointment and no lab wait. Porcelain veneers take two visits: one to prepare the teeth and take impressions, and one to bond the finished veneers when they come back from the lab, usually a couple of weeks later.
Which lasts longer, composite or porcelain veneers?
Porcelain. Published follow-up studies put porcelain veneer survival well above composite over the same period, and that matches what I see in the chair. Composite veneers stain and chip more readily, but they are repairable in one visit, which porcelain is not. Neither lasts indefinitely, and both depend on how you bite and how you look after them.
Does the Canadian Dental Care Plan cover veneers?
No. Veneers in composite or porcelain are on the CDCP's exclusions list, along with teeth whitening and cosmetic treatment generally. The CDCP does cover fillings, and a chipped front tooth that needs a filling is a different case from a veneer. We can tell you which one your tooth actually needs at a consultation, and we write it down for you.
Can I get veneers in Surrey without a big consultation fee?
Yes. A veneer consultation at Meraki Dental is free, and it is a proper appointment, 30 to 60 minutes rather than a quick look. We examine your teeth, take photos, talk through composite, porcelain and the do-nothing option, and give you a written plan. You decide from there, with no obligation. We are at 2940 King George Blvd, Unit 100, South Surrey.
Book a veneer consultation in South Surrey
Bring a photo of a smile you like, if you have one, and any questions you have written down. Put aside 30 to 60 minutes. We will look at your teeth, talk through composite, porcelain and doing nothing, and give you the plan in writing. It costs you nothing and you are not committing to anything by coming in. We're a fun and casual bunch. We do take our work very seriously, though.
Or call 604-385-1823. Meraki Dental, 2940 King George Blvd, Unit 100, Surrey, BC V4P 0E4. Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
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