Can You Place Porcelain Veneers over Lumineers?
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I had Lumineers placed about ten years ago. They have never been as white as I wanted because my dentist said there was not a way to get them as white as I wanted. Recently, I had a friend who got porcelain veneers and hers were nice and white. I’m guessing the technology has either upgraded or that porcelain veneers can be made whiter than Lumineers. I am not able to whiten these because of the type of material. Is it possible for me to put new porcelain veneers over my old Lumineers? I just feel like in today’s day and age dingy teeth are an ugly thing to have.
Alana
Dear Alana,
I want to clear a couple of misconceptions here first and then we’ll get to the solution for your issue. Lumineers are porcelain veneers. They are just a specific brand of porcelain veneers. They are more heavily marketed, especially to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being “easy to place.” I almost feel bad telling you this, but you should be aware that the technology to have very white Lumineers has always been there. It sounds to me like the issue preventing that was the cosmetic skill of your dentist. This does not surprise me because very few expert cosmetic dentists use Lumineers. It is usually people who just dabble in cosmetic dentistry.
The reason it is not used by many expert cosmetic dentists is the results are not as good as you would get with other brands. This has more to do with their lab, which they insist dentists use. Their lab is not known for its artistic results. Plus, skilled cosmetic dentists have their preferred lab and ceramist that they work closely with.
Can You Put New Veneers over Old Ones?
Years ago, Lumineers tried a campaign to convince patients to “save” their old porcelain crowns with Lumineers. It didn’t really work for the reasons I’ll explain. The same principle would apply to your veneers.
The first issue is that it is just as much work to just completely replace the old Lumineers than it is to put something over them. In that case, you’d be better off just getting a new set of porcelain veneers.
The second issue is the bonding is much less secure when you are bonding porcelain to porcelain as opposed to porcelain to natural teeth. Additionally, even if the bonding for the new porcelain veneers held, what happens if the old bonding for the original Lumineers fails? You’ve doubled your risk of failure.
The third issue is susceptibility to decay. You’ve got veneers on top of veneers which adds to the margin. That is a greater opportunity for debris and other bacteria to cause problems with your teeth.
The Way to Get a Beautiful Smile Makeover
Your best option to get that beautiful white smile that you want is to find an expert cosmetic dentist and have them give you a completely new smile makeover. Just like sculptors and other types of artists have differing level of artistic skill, so it is with cosmetic dentists. Each dentist has differing levels of skill and artistry. When you are investing in something like a smile makeover, you want stunning results. The safest way to get that is to have a dentist with proven artistry do the procedure. In your place, I would look for a dentist who is accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). They are the best cosmetic dentists in the country. Being a member of the AACD is different then being accredited. Any dentist can be a member. In order to received accreditation, a dentist has to pass technical exams as well as demonstrate their artistry before an examination board on a large number of cases that they are required to submit.
This blog is brought to you by Franklin, TN Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Christopher Weber.
