Whiten, Bond or Veneer?

Start with What Bothers You

The simplest way to work out what you need is to describe the problem in your own words: too yellow, a chipped corner, a gap, teeth that look short, or a tooth that doesn't match. Each of those points to a different treatment, and the sections below take them one at a time. A photo in natural light is enough for a dentist to give you a first opinion.

Whitening: Colour Only

Whitening lightens your natural teeth. It doesn't change their shape, and it doesn't change the colour of fillings, bonding or veneers. We use Boutique home whitening: custom trays made from a scan of your teeth, with professional gel prescribed by your dentist, worn for a short time each day over two to three weeks. Yellowish teeth usually respond best. Grey staining lightens more slowly, and we'll tell you what to expect before you start.

Home whitening is £350, or £315 for members, and it's included in every Invisalign and composite bonding package.² Some temporary sensitivity is common and settles when you stop. The result usually lasts a year or more, and you keep your trays to top up. In the UK, whitening can only be provided by a dental professional, and not for anyone under 18. See our whitening page for how it works.

Bonding: Little or No Drilling

Tooth-coloured composite is added to the tooth by hand, in layers of different shades and translucencies, then shaped and polished to match the enamel around it. Little or no enamel is removed, most people need no injection, and it usually takes one or two visits. It's £395 per tooth, with packages for 4 to 10 teeth from £1,550, whitening included.²

Bonding suits chipped or worn edges, small gaps, teeth that look short or uneven, a single tooth that's a different shape from the rest, and white or dark spots on the enamel. It lasts three to five years on average before a refresh, and chips can usually be repaired in one short visit. It's less suited to heavily crowded teeth, which are better straightened first, and it can chip if you grind heavily. Our composite bonding page shows before-and-after cases.

Veneers: Shape and Colour

A veneer covers the whole front surface of a tooth. Composite veneers are built by hand in the chair, in one or two visits, with little or no preparation, and are priced like bonding at £395 per tooth. Porcelain veneers are made in a laboratory from an iTero Lumina scan. Porcelain is the most lifelike and stain-resistant material, and lasts 10 to 15 years or more, but a thin layer of enamel usually has to be removed, which can't be reversed. They're from £695 per tooth and take three visits over three to four weeks, including a trial smile.²

Veneers are the answer when colour and shape both need to change: stubborn discolouration that whitening can't shift, a single dark tooth, heavily filled front teeth, or old veneers and bonding that have worn or stained. Our veneers page compares the two materials.

When Whitening Isn't Enough

Whitening is the right first step for most people whose only complaint is colour, and it's often the only step. It has limits, though. It can't change shape or close a gap. It lightens grey or banded staining more slowly than yellow, and a single dark tooth may not lighten to match its neighbours. And it does nothing to fillings, crowns, bonding or veneers, so if you have any of those on your front teeth, they may need refreshing or replacing afterwards to match the new shade.

If colour was the problem and whitening solves it, stop there. If the shape still bothers you once the colour is right, bonding or veneers come next, matched to your whitened teeth. Nothing is wasted by whitening first.

When Bonding Isn't Enough

Bonding is the most conservative way to change shape, and it's where we usually suggest starting. It isn't always the best answer. Composite has to be built thick to hide very dark teeth, and thick bonding looks bulky. Teeth that are heavily filled give composite less sound enamel to bond to. If you grind heavily, composite edges chip and need repairing more often than porcelain does. And a big change across the whole smile, meant to last well beyond five years, is usually a better fit for porcelain.

Crowding is the other limit. Bonding can disguise a very slightly uneven tooth, but it adds material rather than moving teeth, so crowded teeth tend to look bulkier, not straighter. Straightening first with Invisalign usually means thinner bonding, or none at all.

Combining Them: The Right Order

Many people combine treatments, in this order: straighten first, then whiten, then bond or veneer. Straightening first means the teeth are in the right place before they're shaped, so bonding or veneers can be thinner, or aren't needed. Whitening comes before bonding and veneers because composite and porcelain are made to match your teeth and won't change colour later. We wait around two weeks after whitening for the shade to settle before anything is matched to it.

That's what a smile makeover plans for you: one design, with the treatments in the order that makes them last. Your smile is designed on your own face and tried in your mouth as a trial smile before anything permanent is done, and the design and trial smile are included in your treatment fee. The order of steps, and the timing between them, is set out in your written plan.

What Each Costs at St Vincent Smile

Consultations for all of these are free, with a £40 deposit refunded within 7 days of attending. Your fee is fixed in writing before treatment starts, and treatment of £1,500 or more can be spread through Chrysalis Finance, subject to status.² If you're weighing up porcelain against composite, our veneers cost guide sets out typical totals for six, eight and ten teeth.

Questions

This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.