Nowadays, the perfect smile has become even easier to achieve.
Lumineers are suitable for unsightly surfaces of teeth correction, the connection of tooth crevices, permanent color changes, correcting wrong angles and deformations, irregular inclusions, turns of teeth and crooked teeth without orthodontic regulation.
Even existing crowns and bridges, which need to be improved aesthetically, can be interpreted in this way. Anesthesia isn't necessary, because the drill is not used in this case. Furthermore: the patient can always return to the original state of his teeth, even though such a desire is highly unlikely.
Thanks to the veneers, everyone can get a new smile and thus look great without much effort.
Lumineers are very thin veneers, with the thickness similar to contact lenses. They cover the visible part of the tooth.
Lumineers is the trade name for veneers from Den-Mat, a California dental manufacturer. Lumineers are manufactured in the USA only, at Cerinate Dental Studio Den-Mat. The manufacturer uses Cerinate ™ patented ceramics from its own company as the basis for the veneers production. Basically, lumineers are nothing more than ordinary veneers that do not require polishing. Lumineers have become very popular in the western world recently, thanks to the marketing and advertising of Den-Mat.
Lumineers have become available on the German market since 2007.
What are Lumineers?
Lumineers - A type of veneer
Patients regularly visit me for advice and ask specifically about "Lumineers". Obviously, patients are increasingly encountering Lumineers when searching for veneers on the Internet. So what are Lumineers? Lumineers is a trademark of the US company Denmat for the veneers manufactured by this company. How do these veneers differ from veneers that are usually produced by dental technicians?
Production method of Lumineers
Lumineers are manufactured in the pressing process. The pressing of ceramics is a very common process for shaping ceramics in dental technology. Similar to the injection molding process, a wax model is embedded in a fireproof form, the wax is removed by burning out and a heated liquid ceramic is pressed into the resulting cavity in a special oven. The mold is then destroyed and the ceramic raw part is further processed, e.g. by grinding, covering, painting, glazing, polishing. We also press ceramics every day in our laboratory. So this is nothing special.
Lumineers material
Lumineers are made from a proprietary ceramic patented by Denmat. It is a leucite-reinforced glass ceramic. This type of ceramics has been the standard of press ceramics for many years. The most frequently used product in Germany was Empress from Ivoclar Vivadent. According to Denmat, Cerinate has a higher strength than comparable ceramics and thus enables the production of particularly thin veneers. Independent studies that would prove a higher strength are not found. In any case, with various lithium silicate ceramics (e.g. IPS E. max Press or LiSi Press) we have significantly more stable press ceramics for the production of thin veneers. Lithium disilicate is about four times stronger than the old leucite-reinforced glass ceramic.
There is a conservative method for preparing a tooth surface for fixing veneers, which has many advantages. The method, known as Non-Prep, in rare cases requires the removal of a large part of the tooth enamel. In many cases, you can get the desired result without invasive tooth preparation. Only surface treatment is carried out.
After preparing the tooth, the dentist fixes the veneers. This was made possible thanks to technical advances in the development of high-strength ceramics, as well as the use os strong adhesive substance.
American dentist, doctor of dental sciences Robert Ibsen, contributed to the development of this method of teeth restoration. He improved the process of fixing the veneers and changed their thickness, calling the new plates Lumineers.
The distribution of Lumineers, known under the brand name Non-Prep Veneers, was transferred to Californian dental manufacturer Den-Mat.
Lumineers have been used predominantly in the USA for over 20 years, making the technology and materials better year after year.
The patented pressed ceramic material is very durable and very thin like contact lens.
This method is ideal for patients suffering from dental phobics, as the teeth restoration is carried out without invasive intervention. Lumineers can be installed even for children. There's no need for a temporary crown, since the lumineer is installed immediately without the need for processing in a dental laboratory.
Unfortunately, there are only a few dental laboratories that have enough experience to give the desired shape to veneers, which by default increases their price. It is possible to restore several teeth at once with the help of lumineers.
What Can Be Achieved With the Help of Lumineers?
- Surface correction of uneven teeth.
- The gaps between the teeth, that spoil the appearance of teeth.
- Increase of the teeth size.
- Chips correction.
- Lightening of darkened teeth.
- Elimination of any growths or grooves of the teeth.
- Giving an aesthetic look to old crowns and bridges.
- The return of the snow-white smile.
- Improved appearance.
- efective enamel protection.
In What Cases Is It Impossible to Restore Teeth by Lumineers?
Although Lumineers, as a cosmetic prosthesis, helps the patient get a new smile in no time, they are not always the best solution.
Excessive teeth abrasion, massive discoloration and large defects of enamel, deep caries or gingivitis are counterindications for the installation of lumineers. Since the ceramics layer is very thin, too dark tooth colors are not always processed perfectly. In this case, the treatment of veneers or individual teeth with crowns is the best solution.
Lumineers are also prohibited for patients with maxillary diseases, since excessive pressure causes flaking of the plates.
If lumineers are fixed to the front teeth, it is recommended to carry out professional bleaching of the remaining teeth, which will make teeth color look even and aesthetic.
Lumineers are prohibited in the following cases:
- In case of wrong position of the teeth.
- For patients who grind their teeth.
- Patients with large fillings.
- Patients engaged in sports with the danger of dental-maxillary composition injuries (wrestling or sports with a ball or puck).
- Patients who are constantly chewing on foreign objects.
Advantages of Lumineers
- Anesthesia is not needed, so Lumineers, unlike veneers, are suitable even for patients with dental phobics.
- Thanks to Non-Prep technology, Lumineers are an excellent alternative to veneers. They are firm and do not bother their owner with the need of numerous examinations.
- It Has been proven that lumineers can serve up to 20 years.
- Lumineers are suitable for patients with thin enamel, as they do not require teeth polishing and protect the enamel from external influences.
- Lumineers are a great option for young patients who want a perfect smile and beautiful white teeth.
- They can be easily removed without damaging your own tooth enamel.
- Can be installed on ceramic crowns. Lumineers are also installed on chipped teeth, which allows the patient to get rid of crowns and bridges.
- Ceramics used for Lumineers, has the same wear resistance as natural teeth.
Disadvantages of Lumineers
- In some cases, lumineers are not possible to install: with severely crooked teeth or on the side teeth due to their size.
- To correct the shape and color of teeth, it is necessary to install at least 4-8 lumineers.
- Lumineers are an excellent option for patients with thin and fragile tooth enamel, discolored or darkened teeth.
Course of Procedure
Ceramic plate is attached to the teeth with a special glue. Thanks to the lumineers, there's no need for the removal of teeth that have lost their natural color or have large defects anymore. Unlike veneers, no healthy tooth solid is cut, because it is not necessary to attach lumineers.
Despite the fact that Lumineers are thin, they can be removed at any time with the help of cutting, as they are firmly fixed on the front surface of the teeth. The dentist can detach the lumineers from the tooth completely so that the teeth can return to their original shape.
The Cost of Lumineers: How the Price Is Formed?
Both lumineers and veneers do not have any therapeutic effect, but only cosmetic one. In each dental clinic, the price of Lumineers depends on the clinic itself and on the experience of the dentist. Health insurance does not cover the installation of Lumineers. lumineers price consists of a fixed cost of material and the amount of a dentist's work.
Material price
- Set by the manufacturer.
- It is more profitable to install several lumineers at once, it lowers the price considerably.
It is impossible to save on the material itself, as it is a patented brand with a fixed price set by the manufacturer. You can save only due to the number of lumineers, as the price decreases depending on the number of plates you install.
Installation of one lumineer costs 600.00 €, but for the installation of four lumineers you will pay less than 2.400.00 €, which is profitable.
Dental fees depend on the following factors:
- The scale of the upcoming work influences price the most.
- The harder the work, the higher the price.
- All additional procedures also influence the price (for example, professional teeth cleaning).
As has already been mentioned, Lumineers is a commercial service in dental clinics (iGel). This means that every dentist can call any price for their installation. However, you will receive an approximate cost and treatment plan before the procedure begins, so that you can plan out the budget. The dentist calculates the price depending on how much time he spends on the patient and depending on the amount of work.
The dentist cannot estimate the amount of work and costs accurately: the larger the area to be treated, the longer the work time. The dentist should advise the patient, explaining lumineers installation on the layout, and plan the upcoming procedure carefully so that you are satisfied with your new smile after fixation.
In addition, you may need to pretreat your teeth to get the best results. For example, any previous whitening, orthodontic treatment or teeth correction may increase the total cost.