Porcelain, polyresin or resin veneers: how to choose

The short answer: choose by how long you want your smile to last and how much upkeep you’re willing to do. Porcelain lasts the longest (up to 20 years) with no maintenance visits. Polyresin is the middle path (up to 10 years) with periodic maintenance. Resin is the quickest and most accessible start (up to 5 years) with a yearly maintenance visit.

Everything else, including price, follows from that trade-off. Here’s how the three compare in practice.

The three materials side by side

	Porcelain (EMAX)	Polyresin	Resin
Lifespan	Up to 20 years	Up to 10 years	Up to 5 years
Resists stains	Yes	Yes	No
Resists chips and breaks	Yes	Yes	No
Try-on before cementation	Yes	Yes	No
Maintenance visits	None	Periodic	Every year
Three shades to choose from	Yes	Yes	Yes
Deep cleaning included	Yes	Yes	No

Porcelain: the long game

EMAX is a lithium-disilicate ceramic. Its big advantage is how it handles light: it’s translucent the way enamel is, so a well-designed porcelain veneer reads as a tooth rather than as a veneer. Glazed porcelain is also very hard and resists stains from coffee, wine and soda far better than natural enamel or resin.

Porcelain makes sense if you want to do this once. You’ll invest more upfront, and there’s a lab phase, so it isn’t a same-day result. In exchange, you get the longest lifespan and no scheduled maintenance visits beyond your normal checkups. More about porcelain veneers.

Polyresin: the balance

Polyresin sits between the other two. It resists stains and breaks, goes through the same 3D scan and digital design as porcelain, and you try it on before it’s cemented. The difference is lifespan, up to 10 years, and care: it needs periodic maintenance to keep its finish bright.

Polyresin is a good fit if you want a durable, natural-looking result and the chance to see your smile before it’s final, at a lower investment than porcelain. More about polyresin veneers.

Resin: the quick start

Resin is the fastest and most accessible way to change the shape, size and color of your smile. It works well for smaller corrections, or when you want to start now and consider porcelain later.

Be realistic about care. Resin stains and chips more easily than the other two, and it needs a maintenance visit every year to keep its shine and strength. More about resin veneers.

Four questions that usually decide it

1. How long do you want this to last? If the answer is “as long as possible”, porcelain. If you’re thinking in a five-year window, resin can be enough.
2. What do you drink? Daily coffee, tea, red wine or soda favors porcelain or polyresin, because both resist stains.
3. Do you want to see it before it’s final? Only porcelain and polyresin include a try-on before cementation.
4. How do you feel about maintenance? Porcelain needs none scheduled. Polyresin needs periodic visits and resin needs one every year.

Think in cost per year, not just upfront cost

A material that lasts four times longer can cost less per year of use, even if the first payment is higher. When you compare quotes, divide by the lifespan and add the maintenance visits. If the upfront number is what’s holding you back, Klarna lets you split the cost into interest-free payments.

The material is only half the result

The other half is design: the width and length of each tooth, the line the edges follow, the midline, the shade next to your skin and lips. That’s why every smile we make is scanned in 3D and designed on screen, tooth by tooth, before anything is made.

If you’re not sure which material fits your case, that’s exactly what the evaluation is for. It’s free (terms and conditions apply), and you leave with a treatment plan and an exact quote. Start the conversation on WhatsApp.