If your teeth have discoloration, staining, or chipping, you can now fix your smile thanks to technological advancements in dentistry. While Lumineers can sometimes correct specific cosmetic flaws in your mouth and intrinsic stains, teeth whitening does not always work. These super-thin veneers correct the shape, look, and other minor defects in your teeth to restore your beautiful smile and confidence. Because of this, you should contact Beach Dental Care Anaheim for Lumineers services if you need a cosmetic dental solution but do not want traditional restorations like veneers.
Dental Lumineers Definition
Lumineers are extremely thin porcelain shells or veneers designed to adhere perfectly to your tooth’s enamel. Each paper-thin porcelain shell is affixed to the tooth surface to conceal the area with visible cosmetic flaws. That way, people see the Lumineers instead of the flawed tooth surface whenever you smile. The tremendously thin but strong layer placed to cover the natural enamel is called Cerinate porcelain and can last for no more than 20 years.
During the treatment, your dental expert shapes the thin porcelain shell to assume the form of your ordinary teeth to make it a perfect fit and appear regular to the jawline’s tooth structure.
Lumineers Uses
Patients choose Lumineers to address oral issues with their smile and teeth's appearance. Lumineers are ideal for you if you have healthy teeth with cosmetic defects. This cosmetic treatment will also help align crooked teeth, close gaps in the teeth, and address discoloration or stains that cannot be removed through whitening. Let us discuss these uses further.
Tooth Discoloration or Staining
The porcelain shell you place on the surface of the discolored enamel can be adjusted to fit your desired shade. The best option for you is Lumineers if you have discoloration due to bad oral habits like frequent smoking and excessive consumption of red wine, coffee, or tea. These stains are hard to remove even with in-office whitening, but when you attach Lumineers to the teeth, they regain their sparkle.
Lumineers are the solution if you have superficial intrinsic staining brought on by a specific medication. Sometimes, your teeth wear out due to age, becoming thin enough to expose the yellow cast of your dentin, causing severe discoloration.
Beach Dental Care Anaheim’s dentists will use Lumineers for a brighter shade. Along with restoring the teeth's brilliance, the thin porcelain shell layer will shield them from additional harm brought on by continued poor dietary practices. Further, super-thin shells strengthen your teeth.
Chipped Teeth
When your teeth receive enamel trauma from a high-intensity accident, they are likely to fracture or chip, making them susceptible to bacterial infections and further enamel breakage. If you have this kind of dental issue, you should opt for Lumineers services to coat the chipped natural enamel, providing a complete and more organized crown shape.
Additionally, your cosmetic dentist can adjust the thin shell to give it a more accepted look that covers the chipped or fractured area, giving you flawless teeth. You should opt for this treatment if you have a chipped front tooth.
Spaced Teeth
Another use of Lumineers is to remove spaces and gaps in the mouth. Teeth spaces or gaps are caused by having a jawline bigger than your teeth, leaving wide tooth spaces. While having spaces in the mouth can seem like a small problem, they can cause oral problems like pain when food particles are trapped in the gaps. If you do not observe healthy oral hygiene habits, the trapped food will harbor harmful bacteria resulting in gum diseases.
Nevertheless, when you seek treatment, your cosmetic dentist will fill these spaces in the front area of your dental arch using Lumineers. The procedure is non-invasive and will give you functional, light, and aesthetically appealing teeth.
Misaligned and Crooked Teeth
Teeth exposed to extreme acid deterioration lose their usual shape and seem misshaped. If this is your situation, you can extract the affected teeth, although this is a highly invasive procedure. Alternatively, you can use Lumineers which are comfortable and non-invasive. Instead of wearing metal brackets, which are sometimes uncomfortable, you can go for Lumineers for comfortable straight teeth.
Lumineers Treatment Planning
When you discover cosmetic flaws that can be fixed through Lumineers, you should contact your dentist at Beach Dental Care Anaheim to schedule a zero-obligation discovery meeting to share your goals and understand your treatment options.
During the consultation, our goal is to answer complex questions and furnish you with information regarding the merits and demerits of the treatment. Before the prepping begins, we conduct a computerized analysis and x-rays of your mouth to allow you to see your smile before the procedure. Additionally, we utilize Bite Analysis technology to ensure you are comfortable with the Lumineers.
Similarly, we will take an impression of your teeth by fixing dental molds into your upper and lower jaw to ensure they fit perfectly. When the molds dry up, they become perfect models of your mouth, giving us a reference point when determining Lumineers measurements. The study model and the pictures of your mouth are then sent to the Lumineers laboratory for fabrication.
Also, on your first visit to your dentist, we do some cleaning to remove plaque and debris around the gums as part of prepping for the actual treatment. If you are dealing with intrinsic stains or severe discoloration, your dental professional performs teeth whitening; even though it will not whiten the teeth thoroughly, the teeth will not be covered by plaque after the Lumineers treatment.
On the eve of the second appointment with your dentist, we can use the model to attach the Lumineers. This step is essential because we can corroborate that the porcelain shell measurements are the same as those of your teeth; hence will align adequately and look natural.
Lumineers Treatment Procedure
The second visit to our offices is when the Lumineers are placed. Please do not worry about the treatment because it is non-invasive and painless. No drilling or enamel removal is necessary. Again, the treatment is relatively short because it involves attaching the Cerinate porcelain shells to the enamel. Even though the treatment is painless, you should expect discomfort when the technician adjusts the Lumineers on the teeth to align with the tissue line.
During the treatment, your cosmetic dentist will clean your mouth thoroughly to remove any germs that could be covered by the Lumineers on the tooth, causing infections. That way, no layer of plaque is left on the tooth surface or gum line. Your dental expert will then rinse your mouth severally until they are confident the teeth are clean,
The next step is to place a rubber or gel dam over the gums to stop the bonding agent from coming into contact with your tissue. Dental dams also aid in preventing tongue contact with the teeth when Lumineers are placed.
Because the Lumineers are from the dental lab, your dentist must clean them first to remove any particles or bacteria that could hinder your desired results. Our dentist uses unique porcelain conditioners for the cleaning. It takes about 30 seconds to clean the porcelain shells and remove any dirt or bacteria. Your teeth could be exposed to the chemicals used in their manufacture if your dentist does not thoroughly wash the Lumineers, which could lead to serious oral health problems. Therefore, we recommend your dentist thoroughly clean the Lumineers, rinse them, and then dry them using air.
Your dentist fixes one porcelain shell veneer at a time, with other pieces pending. Lumineers are extremely delicate and should not be exposed to light. We apply layers of Cerinate Prime liquid on porcelain pieces to shield them from the light as we fix them on your affected teeth, one by one. The dental room where the procedure is being performed is filled with ultraviolet light used for treatment, which is why the liquid is applied to prevent the overbearing light accident glare.
The other step involves attaching the veneers to the teeth. Here, your dentist from Beach Dental Care Anaheim applies a bonding or adhesive agent to the tooth in question to produce a strong bond that firmly holds together the enamel and the porcelain shell. To ensure that the Lumineers stay in place, multiple coats of the bonding liquid are applied to the tooth. If your dentist applies a single layer of the bonding liquid, the Lumineers will keep shifting, causing chewing problems. Once all the required layers of the liquid have been applied, the tooth is ready for Lumineers.
With the teeth prepped, the next phase is placing the Lumineers on the enamel or dental crowns. To handle the porcelain shells and ensure they fit properly with the structure of your teeth, your Lumineers dentist will have a special tool. At this point in the procedure, we advise patients to remain still because even the slightest movement could cause the Lumineers to place incorrectly on the tooth's surface. Once the porcelain shell is placed, your dentist does some cleaning around the tooth before moving on to the next one. The cleaning is essential as it removes excess bonding cement, gel, or liquid from the jawline or tooth gaps.
The first porcelain placement is usually temporary, and your dentist will not use a potent bonding agent. This is a try-on in case you are uncomfortable with the shape or alignment of the Lumineers. Therefore, your dental specialist will give you a mirror to assess how you look with dental Lumineers after making one or two temporary placements. If you have obtained the desired shade of white, the dentist will strengthen the bonding agent and ensure the Lumineers are firmly secured.
On the contrary, if you are unsatisfied with the sparkle on your teeth, your cosmetic dentist will make adjustments until the shade matches that of your natural teeth enamel. Do not hesitate to say when you are uncomfortable with your shades because adjustments only involve applying a compound agent to the Lumineers to darken or whiten them further to achieve your cosmetic goals.
Once all the affected teeth have been treated, the dentist polishes the porcelain shell surfaces for a smooth and natural look. This phase completes the Lumineers procedure, and you will be good to enjoy a beautiful smile and grow your confidence.
It is worth noting that because the bonding liquid dries out fast, we do the placement for a tooth at a time. The same procedure is then repeated in the mouth on various teeth requiring correction. If you have multiple teeth that require dental Lumineers, the treatment will take longer than when you have one damaged tooth.
Dental Lumineers Advantages
The recent trend in cosmetic dentistry is to choose noninvasive or minimally invasive treatments that leave your teeth intact. Compared to veneers, Lumineers require less or no drilling to shape the tooth. The porcelain shell typically has a 20-year lifespan and is very strong and stain-resistant. Compared to traditional veneers that last for only eight years, Lumineers will give you value for money and prevent repair or maintenance costs.
Another Lumineers benefit is that they are made from porcelain alone. On the other hand, veneers are made of porcelain and compound resin, giving them a thicker structure that can sometimes cause discomfort during placement. The single compound used to make Lumineers makes them super-thin and comfy to wear while providing a durable cover to your teeth's enamel.
At Beach Dental Care Anaheim, we encourage our patients to choose Lumineers for their cosmetic needs because you can reverse the treatment if you want adjustments to the porcelain shells for a brighter shade. The procedure involves using temporary or less-damaging bonding products that can be removed without causing damage to your gums or teeth. When you are happy with the results of the first or second treatment, we permanently implant the Lumineers. In contrast, conventional veneers are permanent, and once they have been placed, there is no room for adjustments, regardless of the discomfort or complications that arise.
Lastly, Lumineers are safe and quick to remove. Nevertheless, there is an elevated risk of mishaps when removing the traditional veneers. As a result, when you come in for a consultation, we run a dental exam to ensure you qualify for the procedure.
The Difference Between Lumineers and Veneers
Lumineers are a form of dental veneers. While both treatments help enhance the look of your smile by covering discolored or damaged teeth, the two procedures have differences that can affect your choice. Lumineers are super-thin porcelain shells, while traditional veneers are thick. Lumineers are, therefore, light and feel natural. Nevertheless, the thin porcelain shells cannot cover teeth with intensely dark stains.
Also, applying veneers takes longer and is highly invasive because it involves the removal of tooth enamel. With the significant modifications made to the teeth during the placement of veneers, the procedure is permanent, while Lumineers are removable.
Lumineers Aftercare
After the treatment, your Lumineers will function like natural teeth. There are no post-procedure instructions like dietary restrictions. You can resume your normal eating schedule once the Lumineers have been adjusted to fit comfortably over your teeth after a few days. You do not need lifestyle or diet changes to protect them. All you need to do is avoid bad oral habits like biting on complex objects, which can lead to cracked or chipped teeth.
Even so, you should eat soft foods after a few hours of placing the porcelain shells, even though we don't advise changing your diet. Chewing hard food weakens the bond between the Lumineers and the teeth. To prevent discoloring the Lumineers, our dentists advise patients to follow a soft diet for the first few days.
Also, avoid teeth collisions by any means because it could dislodge the recently fitted Lumineers. Even as you stick to soft meals, eat gently.
It will make little sense to undergo a dental Lumineers treatment because of tooth discoloration only to return to the habits that caused the staining in the first place. It will not be long before the habits discolor the restored teeth. Therefore, steer clear of diet choices or beverages that stain your enamel. And if you cannot do without these foods or drinks, try regulating their intake or swishing with mouthwash every time you consume these staining diets.
Furthermore, the porcelain shells are stain-resistant, but that does not mean that if you continue with your chronic smoking, your teeth will not stain. Smoking stains these types of dental veneers. We recommend that if your porcelain stains again after treatment, you stick with your dentist at Beach Dental Care Anaheim because we know the right cleaning product for your teeth. Using regular cleaning agents will further stain your porcelain shells. We encourage you to return to the dentist that placed the Lumineers for cleaning.
Lastly, brush and floss your teeth twice daily to maintain healthy oral hygiene.
Find the Best Cosmetic Dentistry Service Near Me
Do not wait for the symptoms that dull your smile to continue. For patients with discolored, broken, or irregularly shaped teeth, Beach Dental Care Anaheim provides Lumineers services. Our main goal is to provide you with a beautiful smile you can be proud of using a comfortable treatment option. Call us today at 714-995-4000 to begin the journey of enjoying a durable and beautiful smile.
