A confident smile can significantly enhance your appearance and motivate you, but dental issues like chipped, stained, crooked, or gapped teeth can hold you back from smiling open and free. If your symptoms aren’t severe enough, Lumineers can provide you with excellent solutions.
While you can get Lumineers at a professional dentist in Springfield, VA, are they worth it, or should you go for traditional dental veneers instead? Moreover, are they meant for everyone? Let’s find out.
Who may need Lumineers?
Lumineers are dental veneers that are custom-made to enhance the physical appearance of your teeth. They are easy to install and an excellent choice for those who don’t want to undergo invasive procedures to enhance the appearance of teeth. The following may be good candidates for Lumineers.
- People who have moderately discolored or stained teeth
- People with chipped teeth
- People who have unwanted gaps between their teeth
- People with moderately crooked teeth in the mouth
- People who don’t like the shape of their teeth and want to reshape them
- People whose natural teeth aren’t strong enough to support traditional dental veneers
In short, anyone who wants their teeth to appear straighter and whiter can get Lumineers, a brand of ultra-thin and durable veneers that are made of thin porcelain material.
Are Lumineers better than traditional dental veneers?
Lumineers are an attractive option for restoring the appearance of your teeth, but are they better than traditional dental veneers? Here’s a detailed comparison of Lumineers and traditional dental veneers.
- Average life: Lumineers and traditional dental veneers can both last for as long as 20 years. However, some dentists perceive traditional dental veneers to be more durable than Lumineers.
- Ease of use: Traditional dental veneers are permanently attached to your teeth, which makes them very difficult to remove. On the other hand, Lumineers are easily removable and leave minimal impact on your teeth during removal.
- Complexity of procedure: Traditional dental veneers require grinding and shaping your teeth before application, which can thin the enamel of your teeth. However, Lumineers don’t require thinning the teeth.
- Number of appointments: Lumineers treatment requires only a single appointment. However, a traditional dental veneer procedure requires two appointments, one for the digital scan of your teeth for preparation of veneers and another for placement of the veneers.
- Resistance: Both Lumineers and traditional dental veneers are resistant to chipping and breaking.
- Usability: Lumineers are suitable for moderately stained, discolored, or crooked teeth, while traditional veneers are suitable for more severe signs of damage and discoloration.
Taking care of Lumineers
Lumineers can last for several years, provided that you take good care of them and maintain good oral hygiene. Here’s how you can maintain Lumineers to last longer.
- Make sure that you brush your teeth, floss them, and rinse your mouth after every meal or at least twice a day to ensure a clean mouth, healthy gums, and brighter teeth. With Lumineers, you must avoid hard brushing and flossing between the teeth as it can damage the Lumineers.
- Some hard foods are highly detrimental in nature and can damage the Lumineers. However, foods and drinks that cause staining, like coffee, food coloring, wine, tea, blueberries, etc., don’t impact Lumineers.
- Stop consuming tobacco products like cigarettes, as tobacco can cause yellow discoloration of natural teeth and Lumineers as well. Moreover, quitting tobacco can also save you from several other health risks.
- Visit your dentist regularly, at least once every six months, to ensure optimal gum and teeth health even after getting Lumineers. Besides, it’ll also save you from several other dental issues in the long run.
Final thoughts
Lumineers is an attractive dental restoration solution for those who want to avoid invasive procedures. However, you must consult with a professional and experienced dentist to assess the suitability of Lumineers. Some cases may not be curable by Lumineers, and the dentist may recommend other procedures like dental implants or bridges.