I had Lumineers done about eight years ago. They’ve always been a bit dingy so I want to re-do them. I did want a whiter smile at the time of their original placement but my dentist said the technology didn’t accommodate that at the time. I think it does now because I see other people with Lumineers that have very white smiles. I don’t think they can be whitened with teeth whitening, so I am wondering if I can put new Lumineers with the more advanced colors over my old ones. Is that a possibility?
Margie
Dear Margie,
First, I want to address the technology. When you originally had your Lumineers placed, your dentist would have been able to make them as white as you wanted. My guess is he isn’t an experienced cosmetic dentist so he didn’t quite understand the color theory necessary to create the smile you wanted.
This doesn’t surprise me. Lumineers are just one brand of porcelain veneers. However, this brand has been highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place.
As to whether you can place new Lumineers over old, yes, you can. However, I am going to recommend against it. In reality, it takes just as much effort on the part of the dentist to just re-do the case completely than it would for him or her to place new ones over old ones. Because of that, it makes more sense to just do them over for a couple of reasons.
The Risk isn’t Worth It
The first issue is the bonding process. It is much easier to bond to natural tooth structure than it is to bond porcelain to porcelain. This means you have a greater risk of the bond failing on the porcelain than you would if you removed the original veneers and bonded the new ones directly to your teeth.
Then, you want to think about the bond on the original Lumineers. What if that bond fails for some reason. All you have accomplished is to double your chances of failure.
Get this Done Right
Your original dentist was out of his depth, so if you are going to invest in a second smile makeover, you’ll want to do it with a dentist who knows exactly what he’s doing. I would look for an expert cosmetic dentist. Those who are at the top of this field are AACD accredited. They can give you a stunning smile.
This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.