Lumineers veneers

[Rosa]

I have been looking at Lumineers and Veneers photos and cant tell the difference between them. If anything, the Lumineers veneers seem to look whiter and brighter than other veneers. Can you tell me what is the difference between Lumineers veneers and normal veneers? Are they both dental veneers but manufactured differently?

[Dr Vahid Motahar]

Hi,

Thank you for your question,

Both lumineers and conventional veneers are porcelain veneers. But they have different properties and are manufactured differently.

Conventional veneers are in the powder form of porcelain that are build up by very experienced laboratory dental technicians on casts made from the impressions of the teeth. Lumineers are a form of pressed porcelain made by only one laborarory in the USA, Cerinate laboratories.

The difference between the way veneers are made gives them different properties. Pressed porcelain is stronger than the conventional veneers and therefore can be made in thinner sections, hence the need for minimal tooth reduction needed for lumineers. But if teeth already have had a lot of restorations (fillings) that need to be included in the veneers, then conventional veneers are usually more suitable in these cases.

The reason lumineers appear to be whiter is because lighter shades have been chosen by the patients. In otherwords, conventional veneers can look as white as lumineers.