What are Lumineers and are they right for you?

What are Lumineers? They are a type of porcelain veneers made from a special, very hard porcelain. This allows Lumineers to be much thinner than regular veneers, about as thick as a contact lens.

The process of getting lumineers is much the same as traditional veneers.

1. The dentist makes an impression of your mouth then discusses the options with the patient. Together you decide on the perfect smile for you.
2. The dentist sends the impression to the lab with specific instruction on what is wanted.
3. The lab produces a wax model called a “Wax up” and sends it back to the dentist.
4. When the wax model arrives the dentist and patient look over the wax up and make any changes they feel are necessary.
5. Once the model is approved the lab starts to produce the final product. This takes about 3 – 4 weeks.
6. The dentist then makes another impression and makes temporaries for the patient to wear
until the real ones arrive.
7. The teeth are prepared which involves grinding down the teeth. (Lumineers claim that no grinding is needed but if this isn’t done it could result in problems.)
· If the teeth are not ground down the veneers may look unnatural. Certain conditions are the exception.
· Without grinding down the teeth it could leave an unnatural space at the top of the tooth. Here you could have tooth decay of gum problems.
· Without roughing up the enamel the veneer will not bond as well.
8. When the Lumineers arrive the temporaries are removed and the final product put on.
9. A few days after the Lumineers are put on they may need to be adjusted to provide a more comfortable bite or fit. This is perfectly normal.

Who is the candidate for Lumineers. They can be used for treatments from complete smile reconstructions to things like crooked tooth, gaps between teeth, chipped or cracked teeth and stained or discolored teeth.

So how much do Lumineers cost? Regular porcelain veneers run about $975 - $2,200 per tooth depending on what part of the country you are in. Lumineers are about 25% less.

Even though Lumineers cast less than traditional veneers they are still expensive and when doing your entire smile it can add up fast. To make it worse dental insurance doesn’t pay for cosmetic dentistry. This means you get to pay 100% out of your pocket.

There is a new solution called Dental Plus. For only $19.95 / mo. per household you can save 50% or more on all your cosmetic dentistry.

To see how you can save money go to "How to save money on cosmetic dentistry".