How thin it has to be
The closer to no-prep, the more you need a material that can be made very thin. Without thickness to spare, options narrow.
Materials
Same veneer,
different ceramic
“I’d like e.max” is something we hear often. But material is not chosen by brand — it is chosen by the thickness and translucency that particular tooth needs. What you gain and what you give up differs with each.
PORCELAIN VENEER The Trade-off
Strength and translucency push against each other
The more crystalline a ceramic is, the stronger it is; the less crystalline, the more light passes through. Raise the strength and translucency falls; keep the translucency and there is a limit to how thin it can go. No material is simply superior — the answer depends on how thin this tooth needs to be, how dark the substrate is, and how heavy the bite is.
Side by Side
Three ceramics
The materials actually used or commonly asked about for veneers.
| Material | Character | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Feldspathic porcelain | Most natural translucency, can go very thin | Bright substrate, minimal reduction |
| Glass-ceramic (lithium disilicate) | Balance of translucency and strength | Most anterior veneers |
| Zirconia | Strongest, but transmits less light | High-load posterior work and crowns |
BEFORE / AFTER
Real before & after
Real veneer cases treated by Dr. Park Jonguk at Dream Dental Clinic, Gangnam. Tap a photo to compare before and after up close.
The before-and-after photos above are real clinical cases treated at Dream Dental Clinic, Gangnam (Dr. Park Jonguk). Results vary with each patient’s condition, and every procedure carries the possibility of individual variation and side effects.
Evidence
Survival by material has been reported
A systematic review pooling thirteen studies reported figures separated by material. You can read the numbers directly below.
- 01
Meta-analysis of 13 studies — 89% cumulative survival (median follow-up 9 years)
Glass-ceramic reached 94% and feldspathic porcelain 87%; complications were fracture/chipping 4%, debonding 2%, severe discoloration 2%, and secondary caries 1%.
Morimoto S, Albanesi RB, Sesma N, Agra CM, Braga MM. Main Clinical Outcomes of Feldspathic Porcelain and Glass-Ceramic Laminate Veneers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Survival and Complication Rates. Int J Prosthodont. 2016;29(1):38-49. PMID 26757327
- 02
Estimated survival 82.9% at 20 years (94.4% at 5, 93.5% at 10)
318 veneers in 84 patients, mean follow-up 118 months. Ceramic fracture accounted for 44.8% of failures, and existing parafunction such as bruxism carried a 7.7-times greater risk of failure.
Beier US, Kapferer I, Burtscher D, Dumfahrt H. Clinical performance of porcelain laminate veneers for up to 20 years. Int J Prosthodont. 2012;25(1):79-85. PMID 22259802
- 03
Preparations confined to enamel survived at 99% — dentin exposure raised failure risk about tenfold
580 veneers followed for up to 12 years gave 86% overall survival, and 94% when only the margins remained in enamel — what mattered was where the preparation stopped, not merely how much was removed.
Gurel G, Sesma N, Calamita MA, Coachman C, Morimoto S. Influence of enamel preservation on failure rates of porcelain laminate veneers. Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent. 2013;33(1):31-9. PMID 23342345
These figures are general clinical outcomes reported in the academic literature. They are not our clinic’s own results and do not guarantee an individual outcome — your course depends on your teeth, bite, and habits.
What Decides It
What actually decides the material
Not the brand — these four conditions.
How dark the substrate is
Masking a dark tooth needs either a less translucent material or a thicker layer. A highly translucent ceramic will let it show through.
Where the load falls
A habit of tearing with the incisal edge, or grinding, changes both thickness and material.
Whether it bonds well
Glass-based ceramics etch and silanate reliably. Zirconia bonds differently, which is why it is rarely used for thin veneers.
{ Material is decided by the thickness the tooth needs, not by the brand name. }
Common Myths
What is often misunderstood
Things we frequently find ourselves correcting in consultation.
- “Zirconia is strongest, so it must be best for front teeth” — strength and naturalness are separate, and its bonding does not suit thin veneers.
- “Expensive material lasts longer” — in the literature, survival tracked enamel bonding and force far more than material.
- “One material covers everything” — substrate and thickness differ per tooth, so materials are sometimes mixed within one mouth.
- “Thicker is stronger” — more thickness means removing more tooth, so it must be judged alongside what remains.
- “The laboratory decides” — material has to be settled at diagnosis, because it determines the reduction.
How We Choose
The order in which we choose
We do not pick a material and then fit the tooth to it. It runs the other way.
- 01
Measure the substrate shade
How much darkness has to be masked is the starting point for material and thickness.
- 02
Calculate the thickness the target form needs
A 3D scan tells us how many millimetres are needed per area.
- 03
Check occlusion and habits
Where load falls, we change either thickness or material.
- 04
Look at bonding conditions
Where enamel remains, the advantage of glass-based ceramics grows.
- 05
It can differ tooth by tooth
Even across one person’s front teeth, different positions sometimes call for different choices.
Is it possible in my case?
The available range depends on your condition. Feel free to ask us.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
01 Is e.max the best material?
Glass-ceramic balances translucency and strength well, which is why it is widely used for anterior veneers. It is more accurate to say it suits most conditions than to call it best.
02 Do zirconia veneers exist?
They are possible, but rarely chosen for thin anterior veneers. Zirconia transmits less light, which costs naturalness, and it bonds differently from glass-based ceramics.
03 Is feldspathic porcelain weak?
Its strength is relatively lower, but it can be made very thin and its translucency is excellent. It has a long record in the literature with reported survival, and we select it when the conditions suit.
04 Can I specify the material myself?
Tell us your preference and we will take it into account. If the condition of the tooth does not suit that material, we explain why and suggest another.
05 Does the fee change with the material?
Our published fee is KRW 1,300,000 per veneer (VAT excluded) regardless of material. We do not charge a supplement for one material over another.
06 Are these materials harmful?
Dental ceramics are metal-free inorganic materials and allergic reactions are rare. Reactions to adhesives or existing restorations do occur, so please tell us your history in advance.
Related
Worth reading next
This page is general information about the treatment. Diagnosis, treatment options, and duration vary by individual condition — an in-person examination is how we plan your actual care.
Articles
Clinical articles on this topic
How the same topic is judged chairside, written up with real cases.
- Veneer Failure Comes Down to Who Did It, Not the MaterialNot long ago, a patient came in because two front veneers had come loose. She said it had been two years since she had them done elsewhere. She noticed the edges had turned black while looking in the mirror, and after searching around for a long time, she found her way to us.
- Lamista Academy June Seminar Registration: A Richer, More Powerful CurriculumLamista Academy, where both the energy and the depth of content keep growing session after session, is now recruiting June participants. Go beyond simply watching and listening — experience the essence of a real hands-on course you can apply directly to clinical practice.
- What Are Veneers? A Basic Guide to Natural-Looking VeneersA veneer is a leading aesthetic treatment that bonds a thin piece of ceramic onto the front surface of a tooth. Many patients seek it out because it can naturally change the color and shape of the front teeth, but some clinics advertise it under a different name as if it were a different treatment.
- Anterior Esthetic Veneers: What Every Dentist Should ConsiderLamista Academy is a seminar group that teaches veneer treatment to dentists. Veneer treatment is quite unfamiliar even to dentists themselves. It's introduced only very briefly in the dental school curriculum, so it's a treatment dentists often have to relearn after becoming licensed, and even those who stay on as residents at a university hospital…
Material is settled at diagnosis
Once the substrate shade and required thickness are measured, the options usually narrow on their own. We explain them alongside the measurements.