Veneers and composite bonding in Coffs Harbour
Veneers in the shade you choose, shaped to suit your face. We design each one individually, and most are made and coloured by hand in our own lab. Before any tooth is prepared, you see the design on your own teeth in a trial smile, and then the whole set is one price.
Cosmetic consultation $95. No referral needed.
- Composite bondingMinor adjustments, per tooth
- $400–$500
- Six composite veneers
- $4,900
- Six ceramic veneers
- $6,900
Every set of four or more includes case planning, a trial smile, fitting and a night splint. Fees ↓
Composite bonding
Minor adjustments: chips, worn edges, a small side tooth or a small gap. Composite applied straight to the tooth and shaped by hand.
Bonding ↘ A WHOLE SMILEA set of veneers
Usually the six front teeth, or eight to ten if your smile is wide. Designed together, as one smile.
Veneer sets ↘- Teeth that need moving do better with orthodontics first.
- A cracked or root-treated tooth often needs a crown.
- The right shape, just too yellow? Whitening alone may do it.
Your consultation is where we work out together which suits you.
SHADE AND SHAPE
The shade is your choice. The shape is our craft.
01The shade
Some people want veneers that blend quietly with their own teeth, others a brighter shade that still looks natural, and for some a bright, bleached white is exactly the point. Each has its place, and we’ll help you choose the one that feels like you.
Shaded to match the teeth around them.
Illustration of shade options on the same teeth. Not a patient.
A veneer is thin, so the tooth beneath shows through it. We colour each one by hand for the tooth it sits on, and colour a set together so it reads as one smile. Your shade is chosen against your own teeth.
02The shape
A natural look comes from shape and shade working together, in proportion with your face.
Designing it is the part of this work we love: working out what looks beautiful in your smile, with teeth shaped to the features of your face, so the result looks like the best version of you.
About our lab ↗- Length
- When you smile, the edges of your top teeth should follow the curve of your lower lip, in one gentle arc. With your lips relaxed and slightly apart, a little tooth should show, as it does in a youthful smile. We set the length of each veneer from these lines, not from a ruler.
- Shape
- Your two front teeth lead the smile. The teeth beside them are smaller and softer, and the canines turn the corner towards the back. We shape each one for its place, and choose a character that suits you: rounder, gentler forms, or stronger, straighter lines.
- Balance
- A natural smile is harmonious, not identical. It sits level and centred in your face, with the small differences between teeth that real smiles have. We design each tooth as an individual, so the whole smile looks as though it has always been yours.
- Surface
- Enamel isn’t flat. The front of a tooth curves gently, with soft ridges and a fine texture that catch the light and break it up, and the edge lets a little light through. We build those curves into the design and finish the surface by hand, so each veneer plays with light the way enamel does.
- Thickness
- A veneer should look as though it grew there, following the natural profile of the tooth rather than sitting on top of it. That’s why the design sometimes needs a little room, and why we plan the preparation from the design rather than the other way round.
Keep your own tooth
Veneers change how your teeth look while keeping as much of them as possible. A veneer covers only the front of the tooth, where a crown covers all of it, so more of your natural tooth stays. We remove as little tooth structure as we can to achieve the result you want, and some veneers need none at all.
See it on your face first
For a set, we print a trial smile from the design and place it over your own teeth, so you see the shape and length on your own face, not just on a screen. It’s included in every set.
How we design a smile ↗DIRECT COMPOSITE
Composite bonding
Composite bonding, also called direct composite veneers, is tooth-coloured composite applied directly to your tooth and shaped by hand, usually in one visit. It’s for minor adjustments: a chipped edge, a small or peg-shaped side tooth, a small gap.
For a bigger change in shape across several teeth, lab-made veneers are usually the better choice, because the whole smile is designed together. We’ll talk through each at your consultation.
- Fee
- $400–$500 a tooth
- Visits
- Usually one
- Upkeep
- Picks up some stain over the years, so we polish it at your check-ups. A chipped edge can usually be rebuilt in one visit.
A WHOLE SMILE
Ceramic or composite veneers
For a whole smile, we design every tooth together and make the veneers from that one design, so each tooth is shaped in proportion with the others before anything reaches your mouth. Both materials use that design and the same four visits: consultation, case planning and trial smile, preparation and fitting.
CERAMIC
Ceramic veneers
Milled from lithium disilicate, a ceramic that lets light through much like enamel, then coloured and glazed by hand. The ceramic itself doesn’t stain.
- Suits you if
- You want the longest life and a shade that won’t change.
- Upkeep
- Regular check-ups, and wearing your night splint.
- Four teeth
- $6,100
- Six
- $6,900
- Eight
- $8,800
- Ten
- $9,600
COMPOSITE
Composite veneers
Milled from a composite block in the lab, then bonded on (dentists call these indirect composite veneers). The same design, visits and preparation as ceramic.
- Suits you if
- Cost matters most.
- Upkeep
- Composite stains and wears faster than ceramic, so it needs polishing, and sometimes repair, over the years.
- Four teeth
- $4,300
- Six
- $4,900
- Eight
- $6,300
- Ten
- $6,900
When only one or two teeth need a veneer, they’re priced individually: one ceramic veneer is $1,943, the same as a crown, and two are $3,200. If you’d like your lower teeth done too, or a number of teeth not listed here, we’ll price it in your treatment plan.
FEES
What veneers cost
A set is one price because the planning and appointments are much the same whether it’s four teeth or six. Choose the teeth by how you smile, not by the count.
Every set of four or more includes
- Case planning and a physical trial smile, so you see the design before any tooth is prepared
- Your veneers, made to your design and finished by hand
- Temporaries while your veneers are made, when needed
- Fitting and bite adjustment
- A night splint, because grinding at night is the usual reason a veneer breaks
Not included: whitening first, if you’d like your other teeth lighter, and any filling or gum treatment a tooth needs before it can be veneered. If you have extras cover, we claim on the spot with HICAPS; whether your fund pays towards veneers depends on your policy, and we’ll give you the item numbers to check. Fees current as at October 2026.
- Cosmetic consultation30 minutes, with a treatment plan
- $95
- Composite bondingMinor adjustments, per tooth
- $400–$500
- Composite veneer setsFour to ten teeth
- $4,300–$6,900
- Ceramic veneer setsFour to ten teeth
- $6,100–$9,600
Individual teeth
- One ceramic veneerThe same as a crown
- $1,943
- Two ceramic veneers
- $3,200
Before veneers, if you’d like
- Teeth whiteningTake-home / in-chair
- $500 / about $1,200
WHAT TO EXPECT
Before you decide
Will they look fake?
Not unless that’s the look you want.
Veneers look obviously done when the shape and shade don’t suit the face: teeth too long for the lips, too square or blocky, too thick at the gum, or every tooth identical in a uniform bright white. Some people want that striking, polished look, and it’s a valid choice.
If you’d like a natural result, we design the shape from your face and choose the shade with you, and with a set you see the trial smile on your own teeth before any tooth is prepared.
Will they ruin my teeth?
Not when the tooth is right for a veneer.
Veneers are one of the most conservative ways to change how teeth look. Any enamel we do remove is gone for good, which is why we remove as little as possible to achieve the result you want, and why some veneers need none at all.
Keeping the preparation in enamel also helps veneers last: in a 12-year study of 580 veneers, those bonded to enamel failed far less often than those that reached the softer tooth beneath. If a tooth is crooked, cracked or heavily filled, another treatment may suit it better, and we’ll talk through the options with you.
Source: Gurel et al. 2013
How long will they last?
Ceramic veneers often last decades.
In an Australian study of 499 veneers, 96% were still in place after 10 years and 91% after 20. Composite doesn’t last as long and needs more upkeep. In a 10-year trial of 48 lab-made composite and ceramic veneers placed side by side, every ceramic veneer survived and three in four composite ones did.
Grinding is the usual reason a veneer breaks. In a study of 323 veneers, 9% broke in people who ground their teeth and didn’t wear their splint, against 1% in those who did. That’s why every set of veneers includes a custom night splint, made to fit your teeth, to wear while you sleep.
Sources: Layton & Walton 2012 · Gresnigt et al. 2019 · Granell-Ruíz et al. 2014
Things to know
- Recovery is quick, though some sensitivity is common.
- Most people go back to work the same day. Prepared teeth can be sensitive to hot and cold for a few days to a few weeks, and it usually settles on its own.
- Your bite can take time to get used to.
- New edges usually feel normal within a week or two. When veneers change your bite more, for example when the height of your bite is increased, adjusting can take several weeks or longer. We check and adjust your bite at fitting.
- It’s permanent where enamel is removed.
- That tooth will need a veneer, or a similar covering, from then on.
- Veneers need looking after, and eventually replacing.
- Like any restoration, they can chip, come loose or wear over time, more often in people who grind. Regular check-ups and your night splint help them last.
- The tooth underneath still needs care.
- Decay can start at the edge of a veneer, so cleaning between your teeth and regular check-ups matter as much as before.
- Results depend on you.
- Your teeth, gums, bite and habits all shape what’s possible. We’ll talk through what’s realistic for you at your consultation.
QUESTIONS
Common questions
How much do veneers cost in Coffs Harbour?
Here a set is one price, including case planning, a trial smile, fitting and a night splint. Six ceramic veneers are $6,900 and six composite veneers $4,900. Composite bonding for minor adjustments is $400–$500 a tooth. The consultation is $95.
Can I have really white veneers?
Yes. A striking, bleached white is one of the three directions people choose, alongside matching your own teeth or a brighter shade that still looks natural. We’ll hold shade samples against your teeth so you can compare before anything is made. Whichever you choose, the shape is designed to suit your face.
How many veneers will I need?
As many as show when you smile and need changing. For most people that’s the six upper front teeth. A wide smile shows the teeth behind them too, which is where sets of eight and ten come in. If only one or two teeth need changing, they can be done on their own and are priced individually. With a set, the trial smile shows you the shape before you decide.
Should I whiten my teeth first?
If you’re matching veneers to your own teeth and want them lighter, yes. Veneers are made to the shade your teeth are at the time, and their colour can’t be changed later.
Can I have veneers done at Dorrigo?
You can have your consultation and composite bonding at Dorrigo. Case planning, scanning and veneer sets are done in Coffs Harbour, where our lab is.
BOOK
Book a consultation
$95 for 30 minutes. We’ll take a look at your teeth, talk through your options, and give you a cosmetic treatment plan, or a plan for each option you’re weighing up.
166 Edinburgh Street, Coffs Harbour
8 Hickory Street, Dorrigo
Images on this page are illustrations and are not taken from patients.