Dental Veneers

• Veneer (laminate veneer). A layer of ceramic, often less than a millimetre thick, bonded to the front of the tooth. It changes colour and shape. In most cases a thin layer of enamel is removed from the front of the tooth first. More on our laminate veneers page. Veneers can also be made of composite; on this page, composite veneers come under bonding.
• Crown (full-coverage restoration). A cap that surrounds the tooth on every side. The tooth is reduced on all surfaces. Crowns are named after their material: lithium disilicate (often called e.max), zirconia or metal-ceramic (porcelain fused to metal).
• Bonding (composite shaping). Tooth-coloured filling material added directly to the tooth. It is often done in one appointment, usually without cutting the tooth, and needs no laboratory.
• Whitening. A chemical treatment that lightens the tooth's own colour. Nothing is added to the tooth.
• Orthodontic treatment. Braces or clear aligners move the teeth into a new position. They do not change the shape of the teeth.

The options below are listed from the one that removes least tooth to the one that removes most.

1. Doing nothing. If there is no underlying disease, how your teeth look is a matter of preference. Waiting is a valid option.
2. Whitening. If colour is the only concern, this is the first step. The effect is not permanent; the colour partly returns over time and whitening is repeated.
3. Bonding. For a small chip, a worn edge, a small gap or the shape of a single tooth. It can stain over time; it is polished, repaired or redone.
4. Orthodontic treatment. For crowded, rotated or protruding teeth, it moves the teeth instead of reshaping them; some plans remove a thin layer of enamel between teeth. It takes months and needs a retainer afterwards.
5. Veneers. When colour and shape are both to change on several front teeth, or when whitening or bonding does not give enough. There must be enough enamel. Usually cannot be undone.
6. A crown. For a tooth with a large loss of structure, a fracture, root canal treatment or a large filling. It is chosen when too little sound tooth remains for a filling or an onlay. The crown materials are compared on our zirconia crowns page.

Colour only

Whitening is tried first. How well it works depends on the cause of the discolouration. A tooth that has had root canal treatment may, in suitable conditions, be whitened from the inside. Staining from tetracycline (an antibiotic) may need longer whitening. Where whitening does not give enough, and for developmental enamel defects, bonding or veneers are considered.

A small chip, a worn edge, or the shape of one tooth

Bonding is the first option. If you do not like the result, or do not want the composite redone over time, veneers can be assessed.

Colour and shape together, on several front teeth

Veneers may be suitable. The conditions are enough enamel, healthy gums and no active decay. Clenching or grinding raises the risk of fracture, so in some people veneers may not be suitable. A night guard may be recommended; limited observational data¹ suggest it may lower the risk of fracture, but the protection is not certain.

Crowded, rotated or protruding teeth

Orthodontic treatment moves the teeth instead of reshaping them; some plans remove a thin layer of enamel between teeth. "Straightening" crowded teeth with veneers or crowns means removing a great deal of tooth, so orthodontic treatment is assessed first.

Large loss of structure, a fracture, root canal treatment or a large filling

A crown is a common choice; it protects a weakened tooth from breaking. Root canal treatment or a large filling does not by itself mean a crown. If enough sound tooth remains, a filling or an onlay (covering part of the biting surface) may be enough. The decision depends on the tooth that remains, its position and your bite.

Who it is not for

• Active decay or gum disease. These are treated first.
• Healthy, straight teeth that you only want whiter. Whitening or bonding may give enough improvement with less or no tooth reduction.
• Teeth that are still developing. In young patients, veneers and crowns are usually postponed.
• Uncontrolled clenching and grinding. The risk of the ceramic fracturing is high; the habit and the bite are dealt with first.

This page gives general information. The option that suits you is decided at an examination, with X-rays and digital planning where needed.

These two are often confused, and the decision cannot be undone. The difference is how much tooth is removed. For a veneer, usually only a thin layer of enamel is taken from the front. For a crown, the tooth is reduced on every surface, and this often goes through the enamel into the dentine beneath it.

The nerve of the tooth. A review pooled 37 studies of teeth that were alive at the start and then received indirect restorations such as crowns. In about 5 in every 100 of these teeth, the nerve lost its vitality². In studies with more than ten years of follow-up, the figure was about 7 in 100. These figures come from published studies, not from our own records. The certainty of this evidence is low. If it happens, root canal treatment is needed to keep the tooth.

Enamel. Keeping the preparation within the enamel is one of the main factors in how long a veneer lasts. In a study of 580 veneers followed for up to 12 years, veneers bonded to dentine were about 10 times as likely to fail³. The more the tooth is cut, the less enamel is left.

When a crown is the right choice. A crown protects a tooth that has lost much of its structure; a veneer is not enough there. A fracture or root canal treatment does not settle this on its own: what decides is how much sound tooth remains. On a healthy, straight front tooth, a crown for colour or a small fault in shape requires justification for reducing the tooth.

What "Turkey teeth" refers to

In media reports, "Turkey teeth" is a loose label for extensive cosmetic dental work, such as a full row of very white crowns or veneers. One concern raised with it is that healthy front teeth were cut down for full crowns when the patient expected veneers. The criticism is not of ceramics. It is of a plan that gave healthy teeth more treatment than they needed, without the patient understanding which treatment it was.

You should know the risks of the treatment you want and the alternatives to it⁴. Before any tooth is prepared, ask:

1. Which teeth will have a veneer, which a crown, and which nothing?
2. For each crown, why is a veneer, bonding or whitening not enough for that tooth?
3. How much will be removed from each tooth, and can I have that in writing?

The answers should rest on the state of each tooth, not on a package or a material. A plan that gives every tooth in the mouth the same treatment needs a reason, tooth by tooth.

First the treatment each tooth needs is decided, then the material. How long a restoration lasts, and what goes wrong with it, depend on more than the material. Its design, the tooth that remains, your bite and your care matter as much. People often say "zirconium", but what goes in the mouth is its oxide, zirconia.

• Lithium disilicate (e.max). It lets light through in a way close to a natural tooth, and is often chosen for veneers and crowns on front teeth.
• Zirconia. It is strong, and is used most often on back teeth and in bridges. A 2025 review found no long-term data for zirconia veneers; the studies it found had followed them for 2.6 years on average⁵. More on our zirconia crowns page.
• Metal-ceramic (porcelain fused to metal). This crown type has published long-term follow-up. A metal edge can show at the gum.

For single crowns on natural teeth, the five-year survival figures are close to one another. A 2026 review found that for monolithic (single-piece) lithium disilicate, about 98 to 99 in every 100 crowns⁶ were still in place after five years. For layered zirconia, metal-ceramic and monolithic zirconia, the figure was about 97. These figures come from published studies, not from our own records. Similar survival does not mean similar fractures and other problems: the same review found fewer fractures and chips on single-piece crowns than on layered ones. Our sources contain no data showing that zirconia lasts longer than lithium disilicate.

Veneers and crowns on natural teeth are usually completed in two or three appointments; work on several teeth can take longer. How much tissue is removed depends on the tooth's colour, its position and the change you want. In some selected cases a veneer can be made without cutting the tooth. This does not suit everyone, and it does not mean the treatment can be undone. How the appointments fit a trip is covered in "If you are coming from abroad".

Risks

• It cannot be undone. Tooth tissue is always removed for a crown, and usually for a veneer; that tissue does not grow back⁷. The tooth depends on a restoration for life, and the restoration is renewed over time.
• The tooth's nerve. Especially with crowns, the nerve can lose its vitality during or after preparation, and root canal treatment may be needed.
• Fracture and coming off. These are the main reasons ceramic veneers fail. A review of 25 studies found they occur mostly in the early years⁸. Not every small chip at the edge means a veneer has to be replaced.
• Sensitivity. Sensitivity to hot and cold may follow the preparation for a while.
• Gums. A restoration whose edge does not fit the gum well can cause gum inflammation and recession. A receding gum can expose the edge of a crown.
• Wear of the opposing tooth. Ceramic crowns can wear down the natural tooth they bite against; polishing and adjusting the bite affect this.
• Colour match. The colour of ceramic cannot be changed later. If the neighbouring teeth are to be whitened, that is done before the veneers or crowns are made.
• Decay. A veneer or crown does not protect the tooth from decay. New decay can develop at its edge or underneath it, and it is one of the main causes of late failure. Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, clean between your teeth every day, and keep check-ups at the interval set for you.

Benefits

• A ceramic surface picks up less stain than composite and keeps its shape.
• A crown protects a weakened tooth from breaking.
• Veneers change the colour and shape of several front teeth in one plan.

After the procedure, wait until the anaesthetic has worn off before eating or drinking. Mild sensitivity and tender gums are normal in the first days.

Daily care

• Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, and clean between your teeth every day.
• Do not bite hard objects with your front teeth, such as fingernails, pens or ice.
• If you clench or grind your teeth, wear your night guard every night.
• Keep up regular check-ups; small chips at the edge can be corrected when they are found early.

The figures below come from published studies, not from our own records. They are not promises. What happens in your mouth depends on the state of the tooth, your bite, your habits and your care. Staying in place does not mean that no repair was needed.

• Veneers. Pooled results of studies on ceramic veneers show about 94 to 97 in every 100⁵ still in place after 10 years. Another review, which combined different glass ceramics and had a shorter average follow-up, found about 90 in 100⁹.
• Crowns. Of single crowns on natural teeth, about 97 to 99 in every 100⁶ are still in place after five years. The differences between materials are small.
• Metal-ceramic crowns. A series of 2,340 crowns was followed in one practice. The figures apply to the 2,211 crowns rated in good condition when they were cemented. Of these, about 97 in 100 were still in place after 10 years, and 85 after 25 years¹⁰. The crowns were made with a high-gold alloy in a single practice.
• Bonding. Our sources give no reliable long-term figure for bonding, so we do not give one. Composite is polished, repaired or redone at intervals.
• Whitening. The effect is not permanent¹¹; the colour partly returns over time.

These figures come from different groups of patients and different follow-up periods. They cannot be used to compare how long a veneer and a crown last.

If you have veneers or crowns, contact your dentist if any of the following happens:

• A fracture, crack or movement in a veneer or crown
• Sensitivity that lasts more than a week or keeps getting worse
• Pain when you bite, or a feeling that the tooth is high when you close
• Bleeding, recession or a dark line in the gum at the edge of the restoration
• A veneer or crown comes off completely: keep it, and do not try to glue it back yourself

Emergencies. Throbbing pain, facial swelling or a fever are not an expected result of a veneer or crown. See a dentist where you are without waiting for the clinic's reply. Go to an emergency department if you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, or swelling in the mouth, neck or around the eye that spreads quickly. In an emergency, call the emergency number of the country you are in; in Turkey it is 112.

Before you fly home

Make sure your bite has been checked and that you have written care instructions. Take the written record of your treatment with you for your dentist at home.

Once you are home

If a problem comes up that is not urgent, write to the clinic and send photographs. Photographs do not replace an examination, so see your dentist at home as well. In the emergencies above, do not wait for a reply.

Veneers and crowns on natural teeth usually need two or three appointments. They are made in a laboratory between preparing the teeth and fitting them, and you may wear temporary restorations in between. The number of days in Antalya depends on how many teeth are treated and which treatment each tooth gets. It also depends on whether decay, root canal or gum problems need treating first. Before you book, you receive a written preliminary plan with the appointments and how many days they need. It is based on your photographs, so the examination confirms or changes it, and with it the days and the cost. If it changes, you receive the revised plan in writing before treatment starts. You can say no, or ask to stop, at any stage. Once a tooth has been prepared, that step cannot be undone. Options that need no laboratory, such as bonding, or that run over months, such as orthodontic treatment, are often simpler to have near home.

Flying. A 2023 review of flying after dental treatment suggests waiting at least 24 hours after restorative treatment¹², and longer after surgical procedures. These times assume there is no pain, swelling or bleeding where you were treated. The authors note that the research is limited and comes mainly from military aviation. Treat it as a starting point for your dentist's advice, not as a rule.

Your dentist at home. Talk to your own dentist before you go. They need to know the plan in case problems come up later. If you do not have a dentist where you live, it helps to find one before you travel. Ask for a written record of the treatment to take back to them. It should show which teeth received a veneer or a crown, and the materials and products used. Veneers and crowns need regular check-ups for as long as they are in the mouth. UK guidance (NICE) says the interval between check-ups should be set for each person according to their risk¹³; agree it with your dentist at home. Before you travel, check the rules of the health service or your insurer in the country where you live about care after treatment abroad.

Questions to ask before you commit. Before treatment abroad, ask:

1. Who will carry out my treatment, and what are their qualifications?
2. Are the remake and correction terms in writing, and for how long do they apply?
3. What aftercare do you provide, and who can I contact after the treatment?
4. If there are complications, who pays for further treatment, extra flights and the hotel?
5. Do you have a complaints system, and can I see a copy?

Before treatment, we give you in writing how complications are handled and the terms for remaking a veneer or crown. More questions, with our answer to each, are on our page about dental treatment abroad.

This page does not show prices. A treatment plan is prepared for you after an examination. The main factors that shape it are:

• The type of treatment: whitening, bonding, veneers, crowns or orthodontic treatment
• How many teeth are treated
• The material and how it is made
• Treatment needed first: decay, gum treatment, root canal treatment
• Temporary restorations and review appointments
• The number of trips the appointments need

Ask for the plan in writing: which treatment is proposed for which tooth, why, and what is included. A plan that proposes the same treatment for every tooth needs a reason for each tooth. Ask too who pays for further treatment and extra travel if there is a complication.