No-Prep Veneers (Lumineers)

Due to the public marketing effort by the Den-Mat Corporation, on occasion patients ask us if we place Lumineers. Our extensive experience and training in cosmetic dentistry has shown us no-prep veneers such as Lumineers can be appropriate in certain situations. A careful examination and complete smile analysis is required to determine the best technique and material for each individual case. Each smile we design is unique and custom designed. We do not limit ourselves to one technique.

The reasons we do not use such a product as Lumineers routinely are listed below. Den-Mat is a reputable company and they disagree with much of the material in this article. You are welcome to visit their website. But we are entitled to our opinion based upon the experience of placing several thousand veneers and hundreds of hours of continuing education from such prestigious institutions as the Las Vegas Institute and many top clinicians such as Dr. Bill Dorfman of the television show Extreme Makeover. Visit independent websites such as mynewsmile.com for additional insight.

First of all we are very conservative with tooth structure. We remove as little as possible to accomplish our goal - a terrific smile. Lumineers claim to be only .3mm thick. The latest material from Empress- Esthetic is typically .5mm thick. So the difference is not as dramatic as advertised.

The majority of cases we design would be significantly compromised without some tooth preparation. Unless the teeth set inward no matter how thin the Lumineer will feel bulky without some preparation. There will also be a slight ridge where the veneer meets your tooth which can stain or irritate the gum.

Most cases we see have some protruding or rotated teeth where preparation is necessary to correct. Color control becomes more difficult when the veneer is too thin. Hue, chroma, translucency, color depth, brightness, and surface texture all need to be just right for a beautiful smile. Masking discolored teeth to look natural requires sufficient thickness of restoration to not look opaque and fake. Not removing old restorations can lead to future problems of color change and decay.

Not wearing temporaries can be a tremendous disadvantage. This is a trial smile that allows you to give us feedback for the design of the final restorations. Working out the details of the new smile in the temporaries is critical to the success of cosmetic dentistry. Cosmetic dentistry is rarely as simple as just taking an impression and letting the laboratory do the rest.

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