Which is better: lumineers or veneers? What is the difference between veneers and lumineers?

What is the secret of the snow-white smile of Hollywood stars? It turns out that everyone can have such perfectly even beautiful teeth! Thanks to modern dental techniques, for example, micro-prosthetics with special plates, you can achieve an incredible aesthetic result. What is such a procedure for correcting the dentition, how do veneers differ from lumineers, how are they installed, and we will open other questions on this topic in our article.

What are veneers and lumineers?

Veneers and lumineers are dental microprostheses, which are thin ceramic plates that are used to correct the appearance of teeth. They are not intended to treat any diseases of the oral cavity. They are used only in aesthetic dentistry.

In the last decade, such materials have gained wide popularity due to a number of advantages compared with, for example, the artistic restoration of teeth. Apply plates to improve the appearance of the dentition. But what is the difference between such similar materials? Which is better - lumineers or veneers? What form to choose? Read more about this in the relevant sections of the article.

Indications for use

In which cases do dentists recommend the use of materials such as veneer or lumineer for their patients? Microprosthetics of this type is justified in the following cases:

• restoration of teeth in the presence of chips, crowding, stains on enamel, underdevelopment of teeth;
• the procedure helps to restore the aesthetic appearance of the teeth with fluorosis;
• in the presence of interdental spaces, a high percentage of enamel abrasion;
• the installation of veneers or lumineers can replace the bleaching procedure.

Benefits

What do these materials look like? It will be difficult for a lay person to distinguish between veneers and lumineers. Photos of these materials are presented in our article.

One can single out the indisputable advantages of installing such plates in comparison with other methods of aesthetic dentistry, namely:

1. Microprosthetics with lumineers are painless. When fixing veneers, patients have a low level of pain at the stage of grinding a tooth.
2. The color of the plates is matched to the natural shade of a natural tooth.
3. With proper care, such a dental design is durable.

disadvantages

But the disadvantages of such microprosthetics of teeth are noted, namely:

1. Fragility of the plates - they can peel off during mechanical action, it happens that damage is formed in the form of breaks and cracks.
2. Installation requires high professionalism not only of the dentist, but also of other specialists who will produce the cast and the corresponding plate.
3. Improper installation of veneers or lumineers can lead to the formation of a gap between the tooth and the plate and, as a result, the destruction of enamel, the deposition of plaque and the development of caries. In another case, the microprosthesis can cut into the gum, causing local bleeding. Also, with unprofessional fixation of materials, a massive jaw is observed as a result of overlapping plates on a poor-quality and insufficiently processed tooth surface.
4. The installation of such plates is an irreversible process, since before the procedure the tooth is grinded down sufficiently or processed with a special compound, thus changing its shape.
5. The price of these materials is high. So, one veneer will cost about 15–20 thousand rubles, and lumineer is even more expensive - 35 thousand rubles;
6. If a chip occurs or the plate is peeled off, repair or correction is not possible - replacement will be required.

Contraindications

There are contraindications for installing veneers or lumineers. Microprosthetics with these materials are not recommended in the presence of the following diseases or conditions:

• caries;
• thin tooth enamel;
• significant damage to the teeth;
• gum disease;
• malocclusion.

The main differences

So, we found out about the common characteristics of different types of plates. But what are their differences and what is better - lumineers or veneers? Lumineer is a kind of improved version of its counterpart. For its manufacture, modern technologies and raw materials are used.

Let's carry out a comparative characteristic of the plates:

1. The thickness of the veneer is from 0.5 to 0.7 mm. Lumineers are much thinner - 0.3 mm. Thus, the latter look much more natural and aesthetic after installation.
2. Lumineers are much more expensive.
3. The service life of more expensive records is on average 15–20 years, while veneers, even with proper care, are recommended to be used for no longer than 10 years.
4. For the installation of lumineers, only 2 visits to the doctor will be required: to take an impression from the tooth, and then for direct microprosthetics. Fixing veneers involves additional dental consultations.
5. With professional installation of lumineers, a gap is not formed between the plate and the tooth. While fixing the analogue is often accompanied by similar complexity.

Life time

Thus, each of these materials has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it is difficult to determine which is better - lumineers or veneers.

As mentioned above, the plates will last from 5-10 to 20 years. What factors negatively affect the life of such materials? Undoubtedly, regular oral hygiene is a prerequisite for maintaining the integrity and aesthetic appearance of both veneers and lumineers. In addition, experts recommend the following rules for the care of such dental material:

1. You can not abuse the "coloring" products (coffee, strong tea, juice, beets, etc.). Despite the fact that the plates themselves are immune to such factors, the gaps between the microprosthesis and tooth tissues may become colored. And also, in the case of installing veneers, the cement on which the plate is attached can be painted.
2. It is not recommended to use solid products without first grinding them (nuts, fresh carrots, apples, etc.), since both veneers and lumineers are fragile and brittle materials.
3. Also, do not use abrasive compounds for brushing your teeth.

In order for the plates to last as long as possible, it is important to responsibly approach the choice of the clinic in which the procedure will be performed. The best option is private dentistry. Veneers and lumineers are also installed in state medical institutions, but, as a rule, such clinics do not have the necessary equipment and materials. Therefore, most often they produce plates all the same private laboratories, so it is unlikely to save.

Veneer Installation Technique

So, which is better - lumineers or veneers? To answer this question, you should understand the intricacies of the installation of such materials.

Veneers are fixed according to the following algorithm:

1. The upper layer equal to the thickness of the plate is removed from the tooth so that the material looks as natural as possible.
2. A suitable shape is selected from the assortment provided by the manufacturer.
3. On the next visit to the dentist, the veneer is cemented.

How are lumineers installed?

But in this way lumineers are installed:

1. A cast of the tooth is taken. Then, on the basis of it, the corresponding plate is made in the laboratory. It should be noted that lumineers are made exclusively in the United States.
2. The tooth is treated with a special composition, as well as polished.
3. Dental glue is applied to the prepared surface, with the help of which the plate is fixed.

That, in fact, is all about how veneers differ from lumineers.

Reviews of professionals and patients

Experts unequivocally argue that such materials are an innovative breakthrough in aesthetic dentistry. With the help of installations of such records, you can literally become the owner of a "Hollywood smile" in just a few visits to the doctor. Thus, dentists are increasingly proposing to install veneers and lumineers.

Patient reviews also note the effectiveness and painlessness of the procedure. If we analyze the opinions of people who underwent microprosthetics, then we can draw the following conclusion. To the question of which is better: veneers or lumineers (reviews also contain such information), many answered that the latter win in many ways. But the main positive points are that lumineers are more durable and look as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

The disadvantages include, first of all, the cost of installing such plates - not many can afford such a procedure.

So, which is better - veneers or lumineers? There is no single answer to this question. Only a specialist, evaluating various medical factors, can give individual recommendations to the patient.