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Lumineers - Do they live up to the Hype? Are they worth the Price?

Lumineers are the brand name for a special type of very thin veneer that is extremely thin like a contact lens or false nail that is glued onto the front of your teeth and acts as a cover up for discolored or badly positioned teeth. Lumineers are made using a proprietary process using cerinate porcelain that is very strong but much thinner than traditional laboratory-fabricated veneer. Lumineer as you can see from the picture are contact lens-thin (approximately .2 mm) and super translucent.

The main advantage to Lumineers is that the very thin veneer means that much less of the tooth needs to be shaved. This is critical, because your tooth enamel cannot re-grow and many, many people end up needing root canals on the teeth with traditional veneers. Once the teeth are cut back and altered the procedure is irreversible. The tooth becomes weakened and dental decay can more easily set-in behind the weakened enamel. With lumineers, depending on the state of the original teeth, the procedure will probably be reversible.

However, potential customer need to watch the marketing. While heavily marketed as a product that does not require tooth grinding , in many cases your cosmetic dentist will need to re-shape the tooth.Teeth that are twisted and not perfectly straight will need to be cut back to ensure that the veneer is flat. White is is true that you will need less removal with a lumineer than a traditional porcelain veneer, it's the enamel loss that leads to the sensitivy and problems. Best to fix any rotation or alignment issues with a standard orthodontic treatment first.

In some cases, the marketing hype is justified because the veneer is so thin, its easier for your cosmetic dentist to manipulate and get exactly the right smile. You probably won't need any shots, and the entire process including getting the finished veneers back from the lab can be completed in two weeks or less. If your teeth do no shaving or reshaping for lumineers, its worth looking at alternatives.

Other Advantages of Lumineers:
High Quality Lab work - Lumineers are a brand of porcelain veneers that works with its own laboratory to provide you with the custom finish your dentist need to perfectly match your smile. The quality of the labs tends to be very high, and your dentist cannot use a cheaper foreign supplier, or lower quality materials or finish.

Lumineers are versatile. Your dentist can place them over existing restorations such as crowns and bridges. They will cover up chips and stains, as well as discoloured teeth from root canals.

Disadvantage of Lumineers:
Lumineers are very thin and are subject to damage. However, when correctly bonded into place, they form a very strong bond and can last 20 years or more. To have lumineers your teeth need to be in reasonably good condition. If you have for example gum disease, the gum will fall away leaving an ugly gap. If they can be applied without shaving back the original teeth, then they are really worth considering.
The main cosmetic disadvantage is that because they are so thin, they can appear translucent and not natural. With so many people now having ultra-white teeth, it's much less of a problem. The ultra-white look is now the new normal.

Price of Lumineers
As with everything the advantages come with a price. You can expect to pay more than $1000 per tooth, depending on what is needed.

Alternatives to Lumineers
Many people are opting to have speed braces in place of veneers - which are basically a new type of stronger brace that can move your teeth quicker. Speed braces when combined with a professional tooth whitening can make a dramatic difference that is permanent and not a cover up, like a veneer. If you need to have any of the enamel shaved, it's really well worth considering going the speed braces route first. The important thing is not to do anything that alters the original tooth structure.