Lumineersฎ are a trademarked brand of porcelain veneers made by Den-Mat. They are basically the same as any other porcelain veneers, and Dr. Whitmore is fully trained in placing them.
However, he prefers other brands, and we will explain why. As a trademarked porcelain, Lumineers can only be made by the Den-Mat laboratory, and their own laboratory technicians. But cosmetic dentistry is different from other types of dentistry in that it is an art, and as an art, it is important that a new smile, for example, be customized to the individual patient. Dr. Whitmore has a personal relationship with his own master ceramist who makes new smiles for his patients. He prefers not to send such personal and critical work to a large, impersonal Lumineers laboratory.
Left Photo: A Lumineers smile with bulky teeth that are so long, they have created an overbite, done by a dentist other than Dr. Whitmore.
Right Photo: A smile by Dr. Whitmore using another brand of porcelain veneers.
Since Lumineers are slightly thinner than other brands of porcelain veneers, they are promoted as not requiring any tooth preparation beforehand. While this technique may be appropriate for some cases, it will make the teeth bulkier and about two millimeters longer. How disappointing when a patient is expecting a beautiful new smile and he or she ends up with bulky teeth that look funny! Dr. Whitmore will consult carefully with you and give you various options.He can certainly do a no-preparation technique. However, when you know all the facts, you will be unlikely to choose that option.
In actual practice, many dentists who place Lumineers do prepare the teeth beforehand, which may seem like a "bait and switch" tactic. However, they are probably doing that in the best interests of the patient, so we are reluctant to find fault with that.
Give us a call. If you'd like Lumineers, we'll talk about it with you and show you all of your options. Dr. Whitmore can not only do Lumineers, he can do any brand of porcelain veneers, and therefore is in a position to explain the pros and cons of each choice.
