Veneers vs. Lumineers

Choosing the cosmetic dental procedure that is right for you can be daunting, but at Luxury Dentistry NYC we are standing by to help you understand the differences between your many options. For example, veneers and lumineers are both procedures that can effectively restore your teeth’s healthy and beautiful appearance, whether they have been damaged by age, poor dietary habits or by a physical accident. But choosing which procedure is most appropriate for you depends on your unique needs and circumstances.

Veneers
Typical veneers consist of a “life-like” ceramic porcelain that is placed on the surface of your teeth to restore their appearance. Fabricated by top specialized ceramicists and dental laboratories in the country, veneers are effective in straightening and whitening the look of stained, chipped or crooked teeth. Veneers require varying degrees of alteration to the tooth structure before they can be placed on the teeth. Thus the process may require the doctor to file or grind away portions of your teeth prior to application.

Lumineers
Lumineers are a unique type of porcelain veneer that consist of a stronger and thinner material. Whereas typical veneers average about 0.5 millimeters in thickness, lumineers tend to be 0.3 millimeters thick. As a result, lumineers can be applied to the teeth without the extensive preparation work that typical veneers may require. The procedure is painless and simple, without the use of numbing shots. Lumineers are simply bonded to the teeth with the aid of a curing light. Lumineers can also be placed directly over existing porcelain veneers to freshen their look or to extend the life of earlier veneers that may have lost their shiny appearance.

Despite the differences between veneers and lumineers, both materials are strong and durable and will last for years. Both procedures also require the same general precautions for the client, and are successfully completed in two to three visits to the doctor. Ultimately, the choice between the two procedures should be made in consultation with Drs. Davidowitz at their clinic in New York City. With their years of expertise crafting and placing veneers and lumineers, they may recommend one procedure over the other based on their custom analysis of your teeth.

Some clients, for example, may be better candidates for lumineers if their natural teeth are already intact and are fairly white and straight. Regular veneers may be a better option to restore teeth that have higher degrees of discoloration and misalignment. The amount of space between the top and bottom teeth also can be a factor in some cases, as well as the client’s habits with grinding or clenching their teeth.

At the end of the day, whether it’s veneers or lumineers, Drs. Davidowitz have spent the last 30 years developing and mastering the placement of veneers to design bright, natural, glowing smiles for their clients. As a professor of international aesthetic dentistry at NYU College of Dentistry, Dr. Gary Davidowitz has even lectured on his specialized makeover aesthetic, emphasizing to dentists from all over the world that using veneers to achieve the perfect smile requires the skill, precision and artistry of a talented cosmetic dentist.