Can Lumineers Fix My Lumineers?

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I got Lumineers a few years ago. They were never the color I wanted, but looked a tad stained to me. My dentist said they didn’t make them as white as I wanted. Now I’m seeing people who’ve had smile makeovers with much whiter teeth so I”m thinking the technology has changed. Can I get Lumineers placed over old ones to make them whiter? My dentist said teeth whitening won’t work.

Andrea

Dear Andrea,

single porcelain veneer being held up by a dental tool

Your dentist was mistaken about the first set of Lumineers. Any porcelain veneers (and Lumineers are just one brand of porcelain veneers) can be made as white as you want and that has been true since their inception. This tells me your dentist is an inexperienced cosmetic dentist who was trying to make sure your smile looked “natural”. It doesn’t surprise me he recommended Lumineers. They’re highly marketed to beginner cosmetic dentists as being easy to place.

Years ago, the Lumineers brand tried marketing itself as a way to “fix” old, ugly looking crowns. The reviews were horrible by those who had it done, which may be why they no longer market for that.

It is just as much work and safer for you to just have your porcelain veneers re-done than it is to place new veneers on top of old. Otherwise, you have two bonding procedures. If one fails, they both fail. It’s more secure to bond porcelain to natural tooth structure than it is to bond porcelain to porcelain.

Getting Your Porcelain Veneers

I don’t think you should go to the same dentist to have your porcelain veneers re-done. He doesn’t seem to understand how smile makeovers work. It’s not actually taught in dental school so dentists have to invest time and money for additional training to develop their skills.

I would look up some dentists who advertise as cosmetic dentists in your area. Before doing anything, check out the smile gallery on their website. If they don’t have one, they don’t take cosmetic dentistry very seriously. If you love the results they create, the next step would be to check their reviews.

This helps you know what other patients have felt about his or her practice. Once you are satisfied with both of those things, make sure they have some form of a beautiful smile guarantee. This way you can be certain you’ll get the smile you really want.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Am I Being too Picky about these Porcelain Veneers?

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Amelia

I had four porcelain veneers placed on my front teeth. The veneers themselves looked good. The teeth next to them stood out a bit so I plan on whitening my teeth to help that. My big concern is with one of the front veneers. I noticed on the drive home it had a strange divot that went across the middle of the veneer. I turned around immediately and went back to see what I needed to do. He told me not to worry and that he’d fix it right away. He did some kind of repair and it felt smooth again. Now it is a couple of days later and that part looks more dull than the rest of the tooth. Am I being too picky? It does bug me but I don’t want to be “that” patient.

Dear Amelia,

single porcelain veneer being held up by a dental tool

You are not being too picky. In fact, it sounds like the repair your dentist did on your veneer has damaged it. It’s possible he just sanded the area around the divot a bit to make it even. Unfortunately, that will have the devastating result of taking off the glaze of the veneer in that area.

The glazing is what protects it from picking up stains. This needs to be repaired or replaced. I’d do it now, while the faulty “repair” is fresh in his mind. If you wait too long he could try to blame you for the damage.

Have this Dentist Replace Your Porcelain Veneer

There is a repair that can be done on this using diamond polishing equipment. Unfortunately, I don’t think your dentist will know this technique. It’s quite advanced. Your dentist isn’t an expert cosmetic dentist, so you’re better off just having him replace it.

I’m not just being arbitrary in saying that. All the things you mentioned above are evidence. First, the number of porcelain veneers he gave you. When a dentist is doing a smile makeover, they’ll make sure as many of the teeth visible when you smile are covered as possible.

At a minimum, that means six teeth, unless you have an unusually narrow smile. Patients with wide smiles often get ten. Granted, there are sometimes financial considerations and patients can’t afford to cover each visible tooth. In that case, your dentist will make sure you whiten your teeth, before you have your smile makeover done. Yours didn’t even tell you to do it at all. You had to come up with that.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.