Do veneers last forever?

No. Even well-made bonded porcelain veneers have around 91% ten-year survival and 73% twenty-year survival. Composite veneers typically last 5-7 years before significant refresh. The realistic expectation is a 10-15 year initial lifespan for porcelain followed by eventual replacement. Treating veneers as a permanent one-time fix sets up disappointment; treating them as a long-term commitment with periodic maintenance is more realistic.

What's the most common reason veneers fail?

Marginal staining is the most common cosmetic issue — the bond line between veneer and natural tooth picks up colour over years, eventually motivating replacement. Chipping at the biting edges is the second most common, particularly in patients with bruxism. Catastrophic debonding is uncommon with modern bond protocols. The honest framing is that veneers usually need replacement for aesthetic reasons rather than functional ones.

Can old veneers be repaired or do they all need replacement?

Some maintenance is possible — polishing out surface staining, refreshing the edge contour, sometimes adding composite to repair a small chip. But significant marginal staining, large chips, or compromised bond margins generally require veneer replacement rather than repair. The good news is that the natural tooth structure underneath is usually fine after years of veneer service, so replacement is essentially the same procedure as the original placement.

Does bruxism really shorten veneer life that much?

Yes, substantially. Heavy nocturnal bruxers can wear out porcelain veneers in 5-7 years rather than the 15+ that careful patients achieve. The forces of nighttime grinding far exceed normal function and accelerate edge wear, chipping, and bond stress dramatically. Any patient considering veneers should be honest about possible bruxism and plan for a night guard if there's any indication of grinding.

How can I make my veneers last longer?

Address any nocturnal bruxism with a custom night guard from day one. Avoid using teeth as tools (no biting nails, opening packages, chewing ice). Maintain standard home care with brushing, flossing, and regular professional cleanings. Limit strong staining substances or use a straw for them. Get regular professional polishing during cleanings. These habits collectively can extend veneer lifespan significantly beyond average.

When should I budget for replacement?

Plan for veneer replacement somewhere in the 10-20 year range as a realistic expectation. Some patients get longer with light bite forces and good care; some need attention sooner. The honest financial planning is to treat the original veneer investment as a 15-year commitment and the eventual replacement as a foreseeable future expense rather than as a surprise. Setting aside something like 1/15th of the original cost annually for the replacement fund is a reasonable rough budget.

How Long Do Veneers Actually Last?

The short version, if you only read one thing

Porcelain veneers in well-selected cases show 91% survival at ten years and 73% at twenty years in published studies of careful clinicians¹. Composite veneers typically need refresh or repair every 5-7 years on average. The numbers vary substantially based on the clinician's technique, the laboratory work, the patient's bite forces and bruxism history, home care, and whether the patient consumes substantial stain-producing substances. The most common failure modes are marginal staining (cosmetic, not catastrophic), chipping at the edges (usually repairable), debonding (rare but requires re-bonding), and gradual wear of biting surfaces. Patients who address nocturnal bruxism with night guards, maintain good home care, avoid using teeth as tools, and get regular dental cleanings extend the lifespan considerably. The honest framing is veneers as a long-term commitment with periodic maintenance and eventual replacement, not as a one-time permanent fix.

What the published studies actually show

The most-cited long-term outcome studies of porcelain veneers come from carefully conducted prospective trials. Beier et al. reported 94% survival at 5 years, 91% at 10 years, 86% at 15 years, and 73% at 20 years in a cohort of 318 bonded porcelain veneers placed in 84 patients¹. Layton and Walton reported similar twenty-year survival for feldspathic porcelain veneers³. Peumans et al. reported 64% survival at 10 years in an earlier cohort using older bond protocols⁴.

These numbers come from careful clinicians treating well-selected patients in academic or experienced private settings. They are best-case representations of what porcelain veneers can achieve. Outcomes in less rigorously selected cases — heavy bruxers, patients with poor home care, cases done by less experienced clinicians — are lower. The honest range to expect is somewhere between 10-15 years for typical cases and 15-20 years for ideal cases.

Composite veneers have less robust long-term data because the material has evolved more over the same period. Recent meta-analyses suggest 5-7 year median lifespan before significant refresh or repair becomes necessary, with the wide range reflecting how much technique and case selection drive outcomes².

91% / 10yr

Ten-year survival rate for well-made bonded porcelain veneers in carefully conducted prospective studies¹. Twenty-year survival drops to approximately 73%. Outcomes in less rigorously selected cases or by less experienced clinicians are lower. The published numbers represent best-case scenarios; the honest range to expect for typical patients is 10-15 years before significant maintenance becomes necessary.

What actually causes veneers to fail over time

Marginal staining. The most common cosmetic issue. The bond line between veneer and natural tooth picks up colour over years from coffee, tea, red wine, and tobacco. The veneer itself does not stain (porcelain is essentially impermeable); the bond margin does, and the resulting dark line at the gum or edge becomes visible. This is cosmetic rather than catastrophic — the veneer is still functioning — but it eventually motivates replacement.

Chipping at the biting edges. Particularly common in patients with bruxism or who bite hard foods. A chip on the edge of a veneer can sometimes be polished and rebuilt with composite as a temporary fix; for visible front teeth, replacement of the veneer is usually preferred. Chipping is not the same as catastrophic failure of the bond — the rest of the veneer is fine.

Debonding. Less common but more serious. The entire veneer comes loose from the underlying tooth. Modern bond protocols make this rare for well-prepared and well-bonded cases, but it does happen, particularly when the original bond was compromised (saliva contamination during placement, inadequate enamel for bonding, excessive bite forces). Treatment is usually re-bonding the same veneer if it's intact, or replacement if it was damaged in the process.

Tooth issues underneath. The natural tooth structure beneath the veneer can develop problems — decay at the margin where veneer meets tooth, gum recession exposing the tooth-veneer junction, periodontal disease affecting the supporting tissues. These are not strictly veneer failures but they motivate replacement or revision of the veneer.

Gradual yellowing of cement. The resin cement between veneer and tooth can yellow slightly over many years, particularly in patients who consume staining substances. This is usually subtle but contributes to the overall aged appearance of long-term veneers.

What extends veneer longevity

Night guard for any nocturnal bruxism. The single most important intervention. Sustained nighttime grinding loads veneers far beyond what eating requires, and accelerates wear, chipping, and bond stress dramatically. Patients with confirmed or suspected bruxism should wear a custom-fitted night guard from day one.

Avoiding use of teeth as tools. Opening packages, biting nails, chewing pens, chewing ice — all of these stress veneers more than normal function. The rules apply to natural teeth too but the consequences of veneer chipping are usually larger than the equivalent damage to enamel.

Maintaining good home care. Veneers do not get cavities themselves but the natural tooth around them does, and gum disease compromises veneer longevity by affecting the supporting tissues. Standard twice-daily brushing, daily flossing, and regular professional cleanings extend the lifespan.

Avoiding or limiting strong staining substances. Particularly in the first few weeks after placement when the cement is fully curing, but also long-term. Coffee, tea, red wine, tobacco, and dark berries all stain the bond margins over time.

Regular professional polishing. Most dental cleanings include polishing the veneers along with the natural teeth. This removes surface staining accumulated since the last visit and maintains the veneer's appearance.

Bruxism is the variable nobody talks about enough

Sustained nocturnal grinding is the single largest predictor of shortened veneer lifespan. Patients who grind heavily can wear out porcelain in 5-7 years rather than the 15+ that careful patients achieve. The reason this matters: bruxism is common, frequently undiagnosed, and the consultation conversation about it is often inadequate. Any patient considering veneers should be honest about morning soreness, partner reports of grinding, or signs of wear on their natural teeth. A clinician who skips this conversation is not setting up the case for the best possible outcome.

For confirmed bruxism, a custom night guard worn from the night of veneer placement is essential. Soft-tissue interventions like botulinum toxin in the masseter muscle are sometimes added for severe cases. Both extend veneer lifespan substantially.