Veneers in Turkey: thin porcelain, planned with a trial smile

Time in Antalya

About 5 to 7 days

Trips

1

Anaesthetic

Local; sedation by an anaesthetist on request

Guarantee

3 years on laminate veneers

Our price

£300 per veneer

Veneers in Turkey have a mixed reputation in the UK, mostly because of photos of teeth cut down to stumps and capped in bright white. Those pictures usually show crowns, not veneers. At Precious Dental in Antalya, when we say veneers we mean thin E-max laminate shells bonded to the front of the tooth, planned with a trial smile so you see the result before we prepare anything. This page explains who suits them, what happens during the week, and the price.

What a laminate veneer is

A laminate veneer is a thin layer of ceramic, shaped in the laboratory and glued to the front surface of a tooth with a dental resin. It changes what you see from the front: colour, length, the shape of the edge, small gaps. The back of the tooth and most of its structure stay as they were.

We make ours from E-max, a lithium disilicate glass-ceramic made by Ivoclar. It lets some light through, much as enamel does, which is why a well-made E-max veneer looks like a tooth rather than a white tile. It bonds strongly to enamel, and enamel is the key word: veneers last best when most of the bonding surface is still enamel rather than the softer layer beneath it.

How much tooth is removed matters for the rest of your life. A classic study measuring tooth structure removed by different preparations found that a veneer preparation takes a small fraction of what a full crown preparation takes. That is the main reason we suggest a veneer, rather than a crown, whenever a front tooth is healthy enough.

Who veneers suit

• front teeth stained in a way whitening cannot shift, for example from old medicine or fluorosis
• chipped, worn or uneven edges
• small gaps or teeth that are slightly out of line
• teeth that look small for your face

Veneers are a poor fit in some situations, and we would rather tell you than fit them anyway. A tooth with a large filling or a root canal treatment is usually better with a crown. Teeth that are badly crooked may need straightening first. Untreated gum disease must be treated before anything is bonded. Heavy grinders can still have veneers, but only with a night guard, worn every night. And if your teeth are healthy and you only dislike the colour, whitening or composite bonding may get you most of the way for far less.

The trial smile: seeing it before it is permanent

Our cosmetic dentists, including Dt. Şeyda Yılmaz and Dt. Hüseyin Bayram, plan veneer cases with digital smile design. Photos and an intraoral scan of your teeth are used to design the new shapes on screen, around your lips and the midline of your face.

The design is then copied into your mouth as a mock-up: a tooth-coloured resin pressed over your own teeth with no drilling. You can look in the mirror, smile, talk and take photos. If the teeth look too long, too square or too bright, this is the moment to say so. Changing a mock-up takes minutes; changing finished veneers means making new ones.

Your veneer week, step by step

1. Before you fly Send smile photos by WhatsApp or the form. A dentist reviews them and sends a preliminary written plan with the number of veneers and an itemised price. Nothing to pay yet.
2. Day one Examination, X-rays and scans. Any decay or gum problem is dealt with first. The final plan is confirmed in writing.
3. Design and trial smile We agree the shape and shade with you using the mock-up.
4. Gentle preparation Under local anaesthetic the teeth are shaped as little as the design allows, then scanned. You wear temporary veneers while the laboratory works.
5. Try-in The veneers are checked for fit, length and shade in natural light before bonding. Small changes are made now.
6. Bonding and bite check Each veneer is bonded, excess resin is removed and your bite is checked. You get written aftercare and, if you grind, advice on a night guard.

The whole process usually fits one trip of about 5 to 7 days. Transfers between the airport, hotel and clinic are included. More on the practical side is on how it works.

After bonding

Teeth can feel a little sensitive to cold for a few days, and your lips and tongue take time to get used to new edges. Speech settles within days. Brush twice a day with a non-abrasive toothpaste, clean between teeth daily, and do not use veneers as tools for opening packets or biting nails. Hard foods such as nuts are fine with back teeth; be careful biting straight into very hard things with the front.

Risks and honest limits

• Preparation cannot be undone. Even a thin preparation is permanent, so you will always need some form of veneer or bonding on those teeth.
• Chips and debonding. Ceramic can chip, and a veneer can come loose, especially in grinders or after a knock.
• Gum line changes. If the gum recedes over the years, the edge of a veneer may show.
• Colour is fixed. Veneers do not whiten. If you want your other teeth brighter, whiten before the veneers are made.
• Not every result suits every face. Very white, very uniform teeth can look artificial in an older face. We will say so, and the trial smile helps you judge.

Price and what is included

Airport and clinic transfers are included; flights are not. Your plan lists every tooth, so you can see exactly what you are paying for. Fees are paid at the clinic against the plan you approved. See prices for the full list.

Guarantee

E-max laminate veneers have a 3-year written guarantee. It can be reduced or cancelled if you skip check-ups, neglect cleaning, or grind without the night guard, and it does not cover sports or accident damage. Repairs under guarantee are done at our clinic in Antalya; you book the flights and we provide the hotel for the treatment period. Read the full guarantee.

Veneers, crowns or a full makeover?

If several front teeth are heavily filled, compare crowns. If you want to change the whole smile, including back teeth or old crowns, see smile makeover, and if you are curious about the brighter, more uniform look, Hollywood smile explains what that really involves.

See your plan before you decide

Send us a few smile photos and a dentist will reply with a written veneer plan and itemised price, free and with no obligation. Use the contact form or message us on WhatsApp.

Common questions

Will my teeth be filed down to stumps?

Not for laminate veneers. They are bonded to a lightly prepared front surface, and some teeth need very little shaping at all. Teeth filed to small pegs are prepared for crowns, which is a different treatment that we only advise when a tooth genuinely needs it.

How many veneers do I need?

Only the teeth that show when you smile widely, which for many people is 6 to 10 on the top. The dentist counts them with you from photos and your trial smile. More is not automatically better.

Can I choose the shade?

Yes. We will show you natural shades in daylight and say what we think suits your face, but the final choice is yours, made before anything is permanent.

Are E-max veneers and E-max crowns the same?

No. A laminate veneer covers the front of the tooth (£300). An E-max crown covers the whole tooth (£225). See crowns.

What does the guarantee cover?

Laminate veneers carry 3 years in writing. Grinders need to wear a night guard to keep it valid. Details on our guarantee page.

Sources

1. Oral Health Foundation: Veneers
2. Edelhoff D, Sorensen JA (2002) Tooth structure removal associated with various preparation designs for anterior teeth. J Prosthet Dent
3. Ivoclar: IPS e.max CAD lithium disilicate glass-ceramic
4. NHS: Teeth grinding (bruxism)

Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.