Ihave had a number of dentists inquiring about Lumineers. Since this topic has been hot lately, I've decided to share my thoughts about Lumineers in context of Minimum Preparation Feldspathic Laminate Veneers from the technical point of view. Let’s have a look at this issue at the microscope and draw some conclusions.
 
First, let’s ponder, why everyone is inquiring about Lumineers?
 

	Because they require no preparation …
	Because they can save time …
	Because they preserve enamel by not reducing it …
	Because they give a dentist a chance to be listed by highly marketed product owner as a certified practitioner after taking a two day course …

Kudos to the Lumineers company for successfully promoting the product. They did a great job, no doubt about it.

No preparation?
Doesn’t it present a functional problem? Since there is no preparation, there is going to be a small bump where the veneer meets the tooth, rather than smooth, undetectable junction between traditional porcelain veneer and the tooth. In the long run, this may lead to problems with staining, gum irritation and at the end cause even more severe problems.

Saving time?
If you wanted to save time you wouldn’t get into the cosmetic dentistry in the first place. Cosmetic dentistry is extremely time consuming process that requires attention to detail, artistic abilities, and obscene amount of extra curriculum education that cannot be obtained by taking a 2 day course. Ask any AACD accredited member what you can learn in two days. 

Preserve enamel by not reducing it?
How attractive a gum disease or tooth decay sound to you if you manage to preserve a thin layer of enamel? On the other hand, why not preserve enamel and make a thin veneer that replaces it and provides a very pleasing bio-esthetic restoration for your patients’ teeth. If done properly it could last for decades!

Becoming a Cosmetic Dentist?
Two day course does not make you a cosmetic dentist and you know it!
This is not to discourage you in any fashion to continue your education; just a word of caution. It takes a life time of dedication to be certified in mimicking nature along with the precision of implementing it in your patient’s mouth.

Conclusion:
I honestly don’t see what a lumineer can do that a feldspathic veneer cannot do. Ask yourself, if a Lumineer needs no reduction what happens at the gingival margin? Doesn’t the Lumineer create a 0.3 mm chunk of bacteria trap leading to gum disease and tooth decay?

Minimum Preparation Veneers. Minimum Reduction Veneers. Toronto Dental Laboratory. Toronto lab cosmetic aesthetic. Toronto feldspathic laminate dental restorations. What are porcelain veneers? Porcelain veneers, alternatively termed dental veneers or dental porcelain laminates, are wafer-thin shells of porcelain that are bonded onto the front side of teeth so to create a cosmetic improvement for a tooth. Porcelain veneers are routinely used by dentists as a way to make cosmetic changes for teeth that are discolored, worn, chipped, or misaligned.

Our lab makes feldspathic veneers that are very similar in thickness and they do the following:

	Preserve enamel
	Provide better bonding to the tooth structure
	Less invasive
	No post-operative sensitivity
	Dentist has much more latitude in creating a beautiful smile design
	Undetectable junction between feldspathic veneer and a tooth structure
	Minimal amount of grinding in patients mouth (range in tenths of millimeter)

Please Note: we specialize in porcelain veneers!
Yes, you can benefit from our applied knowledge and achieve better results.

Minimum Preparation Veneers. Minimum Reduction Veneers. Toronto Dental Laboratory. Toronto lab cosmetic aesthetic. Toronto feldspathic laminate dental restorations. What are porcelain veneers? Porcelain veneers, alternatively termed dental veneers or dental porcelain laminates, are wafer-thin shells of porcelain that are bonded onto the front side of teeth so to create a cosmetic improvement for a tooth. Porcelain veneers are routinely used by dentists as a way to make cosmetic changes for teeth that are discolored, worn, chipped, or misaligned.

"Minimum Preparation Veneer" - a thin layer of feldspathic porcelain bonded over slightly reduced enamel. Used mainly for minor tooth shape correction, lengthening worn out teeth hiding cracks strengthening the tooth and lightening the color.

Minimum Preparation Veneers. Minimum Reduction Veneers. Toronto Dental Laboratory. Toronto lab cosmetic aesthetic. Toronto feldspathic laminate dental restorations. What are porcelain veneers? Porcelain veneers, alternatively termed dental veneers or dental porcelain laminates, are wafer-thin shells of porcelain that are bonded onto the front side of teeth so to create a cosmetic improvement for a tooth. Porcelain veneers are routinely used by dentists as a way to make cosmetic changes for teeth that are discolored, worn, chipped, or misaligned.

	Advantages			DisAdvantages
	Preserve enamel			Technique sensitive
	Provide better bonding to the tooth structure
	Less invasive
	No post-operative sensitivity
	Dentist has much more latitude in creating a beautiful smile design
	Undetectable junction between feldspathic veneer and a tooth structure
	Minimal amount of grinding in patients mouth (range in tenths of millimeter)

 

Minimum Preparation Veneers. Minimum Reduction Veneers. Toronto Dental Laboratory. Toronto lab cosmetic aesthetic. Toronto feldspathic laminate dental restorations. Porcelain veneer technique is an offshoot of the basic science of cosmetic dental bonding. Porcelain veneer technique utilizes the bonding capability of porcelain materials to securely attach a thin shell of porcelain (the porcelain veneer) to a tooth. Although porcelain is inherently brittle, when it is firmly bonded to a sturdy substructure (a tooth) it becomes very strong and durable.

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