Lumineers® / Consulting with your dentist about placing Lumineers®
When does placing Lumineers ® using a no-drilling, no-shots technique make a good choice?
Most people who have a familiarity with Lumineers ® porcelain veneers probably do so because of the advertisements they have seen. Advertisements sometimes do, however, lead a consumer to form unrealistic expectations.
Since prospective dental patients typically see Lumineers ® veneers advertised as "no drilling, no shots" porcelain veneers, they understandably draw the conclusion that the use of this technique should be possible with them too.
In theory, this fact may be true. But any dentist can tell you there is quite a difference between what is technically possible as opposed to what is in the dental patient's best interest.
- Who makes the best type of candidate for no-drill veneers?
- Not being good candidate for no-drill technique doesn't necessarily mean you can't have porcelain veneers placed.
- Potential complications associated with no-drill veneers placement.
You'll need to consult with your dentist about the possibility of placing no-drill Lumineers ® porcelain veneers.
When a dentist places porcelain veneers for their patient, they have a number of goals in mind.
- They want to create an end result that provides a great cosmetic appearance.
- They want to create restorations that are in their patient's best interest, both in terms of function and being able to maintain proper oral health.
- They also want to provide their services in a manner that is as comfortable for their patient (physically and psychologically) as is possible.
Placing Lumineers ® using a no-shots, no-drilling technique excels in satisfying this last point. But in regards to the first two, this technique may not be the best choice.
When planning a case, the dentist must weigh each of the above considerations. Formulate possible treatment plans. And then convey to their patient the expected outcome of each possible approach, both strengths and weaknesses. The dentist and patient must then, together, make a determination regarding which treatment approach seems to fit the patient's needs the best.
Explain to your dentist why the idea of Lumineers ® is important to you.
During the consultation appointment you should express to your dentist why you are seeking Lumineers ®. In some instances a patient may desire them because the "no drilling, no shots" appeals to them so much. In other cases, a person may simply use the name Lumineers ® because they think all types of porcelain veneers are equivalent.
To your dentist, no-drill veneers, although very similar, are entirely different than conventional porcelain veneers. And so to keep all of your options as open as possible and your line of communication straight with your dentist, make sure your dentist understands why you are using the term Lumineers®.
Not being an ideal candidate for no-drill protocol doesn't mean you can't necessarily have porcelain veneers placed.
Following their examination, if your dentist determines that you are the perfect candidate for no-drill Lumineers ® technique, then great. If instead they find your situation is not so ideal, they will need to convey to you what compromises and potential problems might be associated with your case if this technique is utilized.
For some people, the convenience factor of no-drill technique may out weigh a slightly less than ideal outcome. For others, it may be a simple matter of switching the treatment plan to conventional porcelain veneer placement.
Initial conditions that a dentist looks for that favor the placement of Lumineers ® veneers using a "no drilling" technique.
The most ideal candidates for having Lumineers ® veneers placed using a "no drilling" technique are typically those people whose teeth are ...
- already relatively straight in alignment ...
- and only require a slight color or other cosmetic change.
- Additional beneficial conditions include teeth that are relatively small, lingually inclined (tip inward somewhat as opposed to being bucked), or have spaces between them.
When these conditions are present, even though the Lumineers ® veneers will add additional bulk to the teeth, when they are placed the end result will be less likely to be grossly oversized or over contoured.
The Lumineers ® "no drilling" approach is not always the best choice.
Much of the criticism you'll see aimed at Lumineers ® by dentists is directed at cases where a "no drilling" technique has been utilized in an inappropriate situation.
As we mentioned previously, since Lumineers ® can be placed using traditional porcelain veneer protocol, the criticisms we mention here aren't really aimed at Lumineer ® porcelain veneers themselves but at the technique that the dentist has chosen to use when placing them.
It's possible that "no drilling" Lumineer ® placement will result in over contoured, bulky teeth.
One concern that a dentist will have when Lumineers ® are placed using a "no drilling" technique is that the finished teeth will be over contoured and bulky. This type of scenario is most likely to occur when "no drilling" technique is used when the ideal initial conditions did not exist.
Think about this example. When an artificial fingernail is cemented into place it can provide a changed appearance for the nail on which it is cemented. But will doing so allow it to look precisely natural?
If you took two adjacent fingers and placed an artificial nail on one of them, could you tell which one had the artificial nail on it? Of course you could. Even if the outline shape of the nail on both fingers was the same, the nail with the artificial covering would look comparatively thicker.
It's not terribly dissimilar with teeth. If you take a normal sized tooth and bond a Lumineers ® veneer onto it (without trimming the tooth first) the tooth will be larger in size, period. Now will this increase in size be noticeable or objectionable? Possibly, but not necessarily.
Our teeth aren't necessarily scrutinized as closely as we may think.
Different than with our before mentioned fingernail comparison, few people ever get a chance to scrutinize our teeth closely. Interpersonal distances are typically measured in feet, not inches.
Additionally, when we look at a person's smile we typically expect to see uniformity. If all of the teeth that are readily visible when the person smiles have been veneered in the same fashion then absolutely the cosmetics of a "no drilling, no shots" Lumineers ® case can be quite presentable.
Still, some dentists will always be critical of the results of "no drilling, no shots" Lumineers ® technique because to them, someone who inspects teeth on a daily basis, the (even minimal) over bulking that this type of protocol can produce seldom looks as natural to them as if a more traditional veneering methodology had been used.
