Direct composite veneer
Built layer by layer straight onto the tooth in one visit. The standard approach and the most repairable.
From £595 per tooth
Cosmetic dentistry · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Composite veneers in Marylebone: a full-surface change, sculpted in one sitting
A composite veneer covers the whole visible face of a tooth with layered resin, shaped freehand by the dentist and finished while you sit in the chair. It is the middle option in cosmetic dentistry: more comprehensive than bonding a single edge, less costly and less invasive than porcelain. The appeal is speed and reversibility. Six or eight upper front teeth can be transformed in a single afternoon with little or no enamel removed, and if your circumstances change the resin can be polished off. The trade-off is that resin wears, dulls and stains faster than ceramic, so a composite veneer is a five-to-seven-year proposition rather than a fifteen-year one. At Wimpole Street we present it honestly as exactly that.
- From £595 per tooth
- One visit, 2–4 hours
- Typically lasts 5–7 years
Suitability
Is it right for you?
A good fit when
- Several front teeth that are worn, chipped, mildly discoloured or mismatched in shape.
- Patients who want a noticeable change without irreversible preparation.
- Younger adults for whom porcelain feels too irreversible a step at this stage.
- Mild crowding or spacing where the teeth can be visually straightened by reshaping their outlines.
- A budget that does not stretch to porcelain across the same number of teeth.
- Anyone who wants to trial a new smile shape before deciding on ceramic later.
Think twice, or choose another route, when
- Very dark or tetracycline-stained teeth; resin thin enough to look natural cannot fully mask them.
- Heavy grinders without a night guard, because resin edges chip under repeated load.
- Teeth with large old fillings or cracks, which usually need a crown or onlay for strength.
- Someone who wants the result to look identical in fifteen years without maintenance; porcelain is the better fit.
- Untreated gum disease or decay, which take priority.
The process
How it works at Wimpole Street
- 01
Assessment, photographs and design
We examine the teeth, gums and bite, take photographs and discuss the shape and shade you have in mind. For four or more teeth we recommend a trial smile: a temporary mock-up worn in the mouth so you can judge length and width before anything is fixed.
- 02
Whitening first, if wanted
Resin is matched to your teeth on the day and will not lighten afterwards. Patients who want a brighter overall shade whiten first and return about two weeks later once the colour has stabilised.
- 03
Minimal surface preparation
In most cases the enamel is simply cleaned and roughened microscopically with etching gel. Where a tooth is proud or rotated, a very small amount of enamel may be smoothed to give an even thickness; we tell you beforehand if that applies.
- 04
Layering, tooth by tooth
Dentine-shade resin is placed as a core, enamel shades over it, with translucent material at the edges. Each layer is light-cured before the next. A silicone guide from the design helps keep lengths consistent across the arch.
- 05
Contouring, bite and polish
The veneers are shaped with fine burs and discs, checked against your bite so nothing feels high, and polished through several grades to a natural sheen. Six teeth usually take between two and four hours in one appointment.
- 06
Review at two to three weeks
You come back to have any rough spots refined, the gloss refreshed and the shape adjusted if living with it has changed your mind about a detail.
Choices
Options & materials
Six-tooth composite smile
Upper central and lateral incisors plus canines treated together for an even edge line and consistent colour.
From £3,570
Hybrid plan
Composite on teeth needing minor change, porcelain on any that are darker or heavily worn. Priced per tooth by material.
Quoted per plan
Fees
What it costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
Composite veneer, per tooth Single visit, includes design, layering and polish. | From £595 |
Six composite veneers Upper front six teeth in one appointment. | From £3,570 |
Trial smile preview Temporary mock-up; credited to the veneer fee if you proceed. | £250 |
Repair of a chipped composite veneer Fresh resin added to the existing veneer. | From £150 |
New patient examination Introductory rate; the usual fee is £95. | £30 |
Indicative Wimpole Street fees, the same as at South Kensington and St Paul's. A written plan with the exact figure is agreed before anything is started.
Outcomes
What the result looks like
Fresh composite veneers look bright, even and youthful, and the change is immediate: you walk in with worn, slightly uneven front teeth and leave the same afternoon with a coordinated smile. Because we build translucency into the edges and keep the thickness modest, the teeth read as your own rather than as a row of identical white tiles.
Expect the surface to soften slightly in gloss over the first couple of years and to pick up some stain at the margins if you drink a lot of tea, coffee or red wine. Professional polishing restores most of that. Small chips are repaired by adding resin to the existing veneer, which is one of the material’s genuine advantages over porcelain.
Afterwards
Looking after the result
- Keep strongly coloured food and drink to a minimum for the first two days.
- Use a soft brush and a non-abrasive toothpaste; avoid charcoal or whitening pastes, which scratch resin.
- Floss or use interdental brushes daily, sliding out sideways rather than snapping upwards over the edge.
- Wear a night guard if you tend to clench or grind; we make one to fit over the new veneers.
- Do not bite pens, nails or ice, and cut hard fruit and crusty bread rather than tearing with the front teeth.
- Have the veneers polished at each six-monthly hygiene visit and repaired promptly if anything chips.
Informed consent
Risks and honest limitations
Every treatment has trade-offs. These are the ones we discuss at the consultation so that a decision is made with full information rather than after the fact.
- Longevity is shorter than porcelain: five to seven years is typical before refreshing or replacing, and less for smokers or grinders. Costs over a lifetime may therefore be comparable to ceramic.
- Staining and loss of gloss are expected over time; the veneers will need periodic professional polishing to keep their finish.
- Chipping is the most common complication. Repairs are straightforward but not free, and a heavily repaired veneer eventually looks patchy.
- A resin layer adds a small amount of bulk. On teeth already slightly forward, the result can feel or look fuller unless a little enamel is smoothed, which is not reversible.
- Colour is fixed at placement. Whitening later lightens natural teeth but not the veneers, so the shade must be chosen with your long-term preference in mind.
- Gum irritation can occur if the margin is not kept clean; good hygiene and correct margin finishing keep this rare.
FAQ
Questions patients ask
Bonding adds resin to part of a tooth, such as a chipped corner. A composite veneer covers the entire front surface, changing colour, shape and apparent alignment together. The material and technique are the same; the scale is different, which is why the fee is higher.
Usually very little or none. The surface is etched to accept the resin, and only where a tooth stands proud do we smooth a small amount to keep the veneer thin. We tell you before any tooth is touched.
Yes. Because the tooth beneath is largely intact, the resin can be polished away. This matters for younger patients who may want porcelain or orthodontics later.
Most patients get five to seven years before the veneers need refreshing, sometimes up to ten with careful habits. Wear, staining and small chips are the usual reasons for replacement rather than failure of the bond.
Enough to cover what shows when you smile broadly. For many people that is the upper six; for a wide smile it is eight or ten. Treating fewer teeth than show tends to make the untreated ones look darker.
Only if you want the veneers lighter than your current shade. Resin is matched to the neighbouring teeth on the day, so any whitening must be finished about two weeks beforehand.
The teeth are not drilled in most cases, so anaesthetic is rarely needed. The main challenge is the length of the appointment; we build in breaks for six or more teeth.
Yes. Our cosmetic dentists work from South Kensington and St Paul’s now at the same fee, and reviews or polishing can move to Marylebone after 1 October 2026.
Marylebone, W1
Composite veneers at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you as soon as the Marylebone diary is live. If you would rather start sooner, the same clinicians already see patients in South Kensington and at St Paul’s.
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
Until we open
Need an appointment before 1 October 2026?
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
