I want to whiten my teeth and close a tooth gap. My dentist is suggesting I get Lumineers for that because it can do both things in one go. He is the leading Lumineers dentist in my area and said the great thing about them is my teeth don’t have to be shaved down at all to have them placed. That is good because I am worried about what happens if I don’t like them. Are they reversible?
Kathy
Dear Kathy,
I am glad you wrote. I’m concerned with your dentist’s advice here. It seems like a massive overtreatment for what you need. You want to whiten your teeth and close a tooth gap. The least invasive way to do that is to have professional teeth whitening done and then close the gap with dental bonding.
Your dentist is suggesting Lumineers, which is normally done for complete smile makeovers. Even then, I am leary about dentists who push Lumineers. This is just one brand of porcelain veneers. Unfortunately, they are highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place because you don’t have to do any tooth preparation.
I don’t like that your dentist hinted other brands have to shave down your teeth. There is some mild shaving to make room for the porcelain veneers, which are about the thickness of your fingernail. The only thing that shaves down your teeth is when you need dental crowns.
If you decide you do want a total smile makeover, please make sure you look at some before and after pictures of work he’s done with Lumineers. There are countless cosmetic dentistry horror stories out there and I don’t want you to end up as one of them. I wouldn’t necessarily call Lumineers reversible because they are bonded directly to your teeth, which could be damaged in any removal process.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.