I spent a fortune on Lumineers. My dentist told me it was better than porcelain veneers because you don’t have to shave your teeth. But they have made my teeth look fat. Is there anything I can do about it?

Maureen B.- Nevada

Maureen,

Your dentist is either uninformed or deceptive.  Lumineers aren’t better than porcelain veneers, they because they are porcelain veneers. They are simply one of several brands of veneers.

They are marketed to dentists as an easy prep because there is no “need” to prep the teeth. This is especially appealing to dentist who don’t understand cosmetic dentistry. Many expert cosmetic dentists do not like the Lumineers brand at all. Bulkiness being just one of the reasons.

Another reason is the lab. The Lumineers brand is owned by the Den-Mat Company and they require you to use their labs.  It is not the most artistic lab.

The reason your teeth look bulky is because there wasn’t any tooth preparation.  To be honest, the tooth preparation is so minimal, it is no big deal, but the Lumineers company uses that as a selling point anyway.

This blog is brought to you by Oklahoma City, OK Dentist Dr. Don Swearingen.