The truth is that is difficult is to say.  It depends greatly on the individual; more specifically how good their oral care is, if they are a grinder/clencher, and what condition their tooth was in when placed.  I highlight the last point because it is arguably the most important. The research is very clear that if the veneer can stay only in enamel, the outer layer of tooth structure, it will hold up EXTREMELY well.  The less enamel there is left after preparing for the veneer, the worse the prognosis is.  This is why if there is not a lot of enamel left, I change what I do. I still call the procedure a “veneer” but will wrap it around the back of the tooth. I call this wrap veneer, but it has many names.

The meta-analysis has the 5 and 10 year survival rate at about 95% on IDEAL situations.  Here is the conclusion of that study (Watt 2013)

“When bonded to enamel substrate, feldspathic porcelain veneers have a very high 10-year survival rate that may approach 95%.  Clinical heterogeneity is associated with differences in reported survival rates. Use of clinically relevant survival definitions and careful reporting of tooth characteristics, censorship, clustering, and precise results in future research would improve meta-analytic estimates and aid treatment decisions.” Veneers that bond to enamel are substantially stronger than those on dentin. Failure modes are fracture and marginal decay in that order of occurrence. Arif JPD 2019

Gurel 2013 Influence of enamel preservation on failure rates of porcelain laminate veneers shows that veneers bonded to ONLY dentin and teeth with preparation margins in dentin are approximately 10 times more likely to fail than veneers bonded to enamel. Also coronal crown lengthening increased the risk of veneer failure by 2.3 times.

What about longevity of dental veneers in the real world?

The reality is the majority of esthetic restorative cases I do are not ideal teeth. The teeth that get veneers already have some fillings or are in a position that they are not totally in enamel.  To prep only in enamel is basically the dream veneer case, which rarely exists on older people wanting a smile makeover.

 So, how long do dental veneers last?  It depends!  On you and your habits, your tooth condition, and how good your dentist is.