Lumineers are a type of porcelain veneers that can be used to correct a variety of cosmetic dental problems. These veneers can be used to cover tooth staining, chips, or cracks. Lumineers can also be used to correct minor tooth alignment or mildly crooked teeth.
Unlike some other porcelain veneers, Lumineers does not require drilling or even injections of numbing medication. The process is reversible, so if the patient does not like the results, the Lumineers can be removed.
Lumineers are often desirable solutions for people who have multiple cosmetic problems. For example, if someone has a chipped tooth and their teeth are stained, they may opt for Lumineers rather than bonding to fix the chipped tooth and teeth whitening procedures. Both bonding and teeth whitening are temporary solutions that need to be repeated. Lumineers offers a permanent solution to both problems.
Even people who only have stained teeth may strongly prefer getting Lumineers as opposed to the numerous teeth bleaching or whitening procedures needed to maintain whiter teeth. Some stains, such as those from some medications, do not respond well to whitening methods. Porcelain veneers or bonding may be the only solutions for those cases.
While bonding is often used to fix cosmetic dental problems, bonding typically lasts a few years. The substance used in the bonding process tends to wear or crack over time. Then, the bonding treatment must be repeated. Lumineers last for twenty years.
Lumineers are custom designed to fit the patient’s teeth. Other porcelain veneers require that the person has a large portion of the teeth shaved away after being injected with numbing medication. Because the teeth have been shaved down, the porcelain veneers are not reversible. With Lumineers, the thin porcelain veneers are bonded over the teeth without the need for teeth to be shaved down.
The process of receiving Lumineers takes two dentist office visits. During the first visit, the dentist makes an impression of the patient’s teeth. The impression is sent to a lab that custom makes the Lumineers to fit the impression. When the Lumineers are ready, the patient returns to the dentist to have them cemented to the teeth.
