Veneers without grinding
November 18, 2022
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Lumineers – The whitest smile
Are you looking for a natural and beautiful Hollywood smile? The use of Lumineers is a certain type of tooth beautification and belongs to the types of so-called veneers. They consist of ceramic shells that cover the front and canine teeth. By bonding the Lumineers’ teeth, the position, shape, and color of the teeth can be visually adjusted.
The wafer-thin ceramic shells belong to the non-prep veneers and are therefore clearly distinguishable from conventional veneers. In this article, you will learn about the differences, advantages, and disadvantages and what is best for you.
Table of contents
What are Lumineers?
Veneers originated in the 1950s and since then have been used to beautify teeth, especially in California, by the stars of the world. Today there are many types of veneers, Lumineers are one of them.
The shells are wafer-thin, 0.2 – 0.3 mm. They are bonded using the so-called adhesive technique after a pretreatment during which the dimensions of the teeth to be bonded are recorded and scaled. The bonding can be done without grinding and processing the tooth surface. With this bio-aesthetic dental treatment, discolored and crooked teeth in the anterior region can be easily covered and beautified.
The adhesive technique uses thin liquid plastic to bond the veneers to the tooth surface. It is also used for crowns and adhesive bridges.
Lumineers are made of a patented ceramic from Denmat. The so-called Cerinate ceramic can be sold and used in Germany since 2007. However, not all dentists are allowed to use these veneers. Dentists must complete a training course in advance and obtain a certificate. Both are only available from the manufacturer Denmat. The biggest difference is that Lumineers are bonded without grinding the tooth surface.
There is a reason for the increasing popularity of modern tooth optimization. Here are advantages but also disadvantages of Lumineers.
Here you will find everything about your veneers in Bochum.
Advantages and disadvantages
The biggest advantage and the reason why people generally purchase veneers is to beautify broken and old teeth. And this is exactly what the Cerinate ceramic veneers can do excellently. Although they are extremely thin, 0.2-0.3mm, they manage to give patients a new and beautiful smile.
Another advantage, which is important to many patients, is that they can be bonded without grinding down the surface of the tooth. Many people are afraid of dental treatment and want to avoid preparing their teeth as much as possible. Because Lumineers are applied without grinding, the treatment is 100% painless.
The clear disadvantage is that Lumineers cannot be used on dark teeth because they are too thin to hide the dark color of the tooth. If the enamel surface of the tooth is too thick, Lumineers cannot be used then either.
In the following table you can find more advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages
- Good solution for more beautiful teeth
- Painless treatment without grinding the tooth surface
- Long durability up to 20 years
- Treatment is possible despite tooth and gum disease
- Natural aesthetics due to thin ceramics
- Removable without residue
Disadvantages
- Cost (no health insurance)
- Especially dark teeth can shine through the thin shells
- Not suitable for teeth grinders
- Due to patent only available at certain dentists
- Not possible for every patient
Differences/common features of conventional veneers:
Conventional ceramic veneers are the most common application method in tooth beautification treatment. Doch die Lumineers werden immer beliebter bei den Patienten. It is important to understand how the two types of veneers differ.
- Non-Prep Veneers: Lumineers belong to the group of non-prep veneers. This means that they are bonded on without any grinding, spraying or drilling. With traditional veneers, the teeth have to be machined in advance. This means that the non-prep veneers can also be removed without leaving any residue.
- Size: The Cerinate ceramic shells are 0.2 - 0.3mm, which is much thinner than the conventional veneers with 0.5 - 1mm. The size makes it possible that the tooth surface does not have to be ground down. However, this can make it possible for dark teeth to show through the thin discs or for teeth with too much plaque not to fit Lumineers.
Aside from the differences, the two types of venners also have many things in common.
- Both types of veneers are very durable. Several studies can assure the durability up to 20 years. Thus, both methods are not only an aesthetic, but also a reliable improvement of the teeth. However, the durability is always related to the way the patient takes care of the teeth.
- Due to the ceramic, the conventional veneers as well as the Lumineers give the teeth a natural color.
Who are Lumineers suitable for?
Are you wondering whether it is better to use Lumineers or conventional veneers? In general, it can be said that both types of veneers provide a beautiful and natural smile. However, it is difficult to determine with a remote diagnosis which type of veneer is more suitable. For that, you should always consult a doctor who will examine the position and condition of your teeth.
Every mouth and every tooth is individual and must be treated accordingly. For some tooth positions and dental diseases, it makes more sense to use Lumineers, for others conventional veneers are recommended.
Lumineers are particularly suitable for:
- smaller teeth that need to be enlarged
- teeth that have gaps
- teeth with a very thin enamel layer
- young patients
In the end, you can decide what kind of veneers you prefer. If it is important to you that the veneers are placed without grinding, so that your teeth remain undamaged, you should get Lumineers. However, in some cases, this is not possible and then conventional veneers are more than a good substitute.
Lumineers costs
There are no standard prices for Cerinate ceramic shells, although it is a patent brand. The prices consist of:
- Cost of materials
- laboratory costs
- surgery costs
- treatment costs
High quality is important for many doctors, but of course also for patients, because veneers are durable for such a long period. Normally Lumineers cost 800 -2.000 Euro. It depends on the practice, in which range the price is. So you should find out which practice has which prices.
The costs are not covered by statutory health insurance. Veneers are usually only an aesthetic procedure that is not covered by health insurance. There are individual cases where veneers are medically justifiable and therefore partially covered by health insurance. You should consult your insurance company in advance and discuss the possibilities of covering the costs.
