Chipped or cracked veneer: polish, repair or replace?

The Oral Health Foundation notes that veneers can chip, crack or come loose, and that "small chips may be repaired". Research agrees that chipping is the main thing to watch for. A meta-analysis of ceramic veneers found fracture or chipping in about 4%, the most frequent complication (Morimoto et al., 2016), and a large review of porcelain veneers found fracture the most common cause of failure, usually in the first years (Alenezi et al., 2021). The good news is that a chip does not always mean a new veneer.

First, look closely

In good light, with a mirror and your phone camera, check:

• Where is the chip? On the biting edge, a corner, or the middle of the front?
• How big? A tiny nick, a visible piece missing, or a large section?
• Is there a crack line running across or up the veneer?
• Is the veneer still firm, or does it move when you press gently?
• Is the tooth painful, or sensitive to cold?

Take photos from the front and the side, and send them to the clinic. A dentist can often say from photos which category it falls into.

Three levels of chip

Polishing

A very small chip on the edge can often be smoothed so it does not catch your tongue and then polished back to a shine. The change in shape is usually invisible. It is quick and inexpensive.

Composite repair

For a larger chip on a veneer that is still firmly attached, the dentist can bond tooth-coloured composite directly to the ceramic. The chipped surface is roughened and treated so the composite sticks, and the composite is shaped and polished to match. Done well, a small repair is hard to spot.

Repairs have limits. Composite does not stay as glossy as porcelain, so a large repair may gradually look different from the rest of the veneer, and it may need polishing at check-ups. On the biting edge of someone who grinds, a repair may chip again. But for many people it buys years before a replacement is needed.

Replacement

A new veneer is the right answer when:

• a crack runs through the veneer (cracked ceramic tends to spread);
• a large piece is missing, especially from the front surface;
• the veneer is loose as well as chipped;
• there is decay at the edge;
• a repair would not match well enough for you.

Replacing one veneer means removing the old one, preparing the surface again (usually removing very little more tooth) and matching a new veneer to your others. Matching a single veneer is precise work; keep your records of the material and shade. See replacing old veneers and a single veneer or a full set.

Composite veneers chip differently

Composite is softer than porcelain. It is more likely to chip and wear, but much easier to repair: the dentist simply adds and polishes new composite in the chair. A review of composite veneers found surface roughness, colour mismatch and edge staining the most commonly reported problems, most of them clinically acceptable or easily fixed (Lim et al., 2023). If you have composite, expect occasional touch-ups as part of normal care. See composite veneers.

Which materials chip least?

A 2025 meta-analysis compared laminate veneers made from different ceramics. Survival was high for all of them over about ten years, but lithium disilicate veneers, the family that includes E-max, had much lower rates of technical complications such as chipping than feldspathic porcelain (Klein et al., 2025). The authors suggested lithium disilicate may be preferred for long-term success. Material matters, but so do design, bonding and your bite.

Why veneers chip

• Grinding and clenching. A clinical study found most fractures in patients with grinding habits, and that a night splint reduced the risk (Granell-Ruíz et al., 2014).
• Biting hard things with the front teeth: ice, nut shells, bones, pen tops, fingernails.
• A high spot in the bite that overloads one veneer.
• Very thin edges without enough support.
• A knock to the mouth.

Reducing the risk

• Wear a night guard if you grind. See grinding and night guards.
• Cut hard foods and chew with your back teeth.
• Never use your teeth as tools.
• Wear a sports mouthguard for contact sports.
• Report any high spot or catch after fitting straight away.
• Keep up check-ups, so small chips are smoothed before they grow.

Cost of each option

Polishing is usually the cheapest, often done within a check-up. A composite repair costs about the same as a small white filling at most practices. A replacement veneer costs the same as a new one, plus the removal of the old one, unless it is covered by a guarantee. That is why it is worth catching small chips early, while a polish or repair is still enough.

Whatever the fix, ask for the material and shade used to be added to your dental notes.

Until you are seen

Cover a sharp edge with orthodontic wax, avoid biting on that tooth, and keep the area clean. If a piece of the tooth itself has broken, or there is pain, ask to be seen sooner. If the veneer comes off completely, see what to do if a veneer comes off.

Getting it repaired in the UK

Polishing and small composite repairs are routine for UK dentists, and many people have them done at a regular check-up rather than travelling. Tell your dentist what material the veneer is made of, because the way the ceramic surface is prepared for a repair depends on it. If the chip is large and a replacement is likely, contact the clinic that made the veneer first: matching a single new veneer to an existing set is easier for the laboratory that made the originals, and your guarantee may only apply there.

What a chip tells you

A single chip after years of use is ordinary wear and tear. A chip in the first few months, or several chips, is a message. It may mean the bite is overloading those teeth, the veneers are thinner at the edge than they should be, or you are grinding more than you realise. Before a repair or replacement, it is worth asking the dentist to check the bite in every direction and look for signs of grinding. Fixing the cause is what stops the next chip.

Guarantees and chips

Whether a chip is covered depends on the guarantee terms and the cause. Many guarantees exclude damage from accidents or from not wearing a recommended night guard. Read the terms before treatment, and keep any night guard you are given. See what a veneer guarantee covers.

Common questions

Is a chipped veneer an emergency?

Usually not, unless it is sharp enough to cut your tongue, or the tooth is painful. Book an appointment within a few weeks; cover sharp edges with orthodontic wax.

Can a chipped porcelain veneer be repaired?

Often, yes. Small chips can be polished, and small to medium chips repaired with composite. Large chips or cracks usually need a new veneer.

Will a repair be visible?

A good composite repair on a small chip is hard to see. On a large area, or on a very glossy ceramic, it may be noticeable over time as composite dulls.

How common are chips?

Fracture or chipping is the most frequent complication in research on ceramic veneers: about 4% in one meta-analysis.

Is a composite veneer easier to fix?

Yes. Composite can be added to and polished directly in the mouth. That is one of its advantages over porcelain.

Sources

1. Morimoto S et al. (2016) Main clinical outcomes of ceramic laminate veneers (fracture/chipping about 4%). Int J Prosthodont
2. Alenezi A et al. (2021) Long-term survival and complication rates of porcelain laminate veneers (fracture most common). J Clin Med
3. Klein P et al. (2025) Survival and complication rates of ceramic laminate veneers by material. J Esthet Restor Dent
4. Granell-Ruíz M et al. (2014) Influence of bruxism on survival of porcelain laminate veneers. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal
5. Lim TW et al. (2023) Survival and complication rates of resin composite laminate veneers. J Evid Based Dent Pract
6. Oral Health Foundation: veneers (small chips may be repaired)

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