Dr. Christopher Pescatore
Restorative & Cosmetic Dentistry
Creating Beautiful Smiles
Call: (925) 362-9330

Dental Veneers vs. Lumineers

In Cosmetic March 25, 2020

Porcelain dental veneers and Lumineers can seem almost interchangeable, but these treatments do possess important differences. If you’re looking for a smile makeover and you are considering dental veneers or Lumineers, it’s important to evaluate the pros and cons of both options.

Benefits of Both Choices

Both porcelain veneers and Lumineers are solutions for many patients with the following:

  • Discolored teeth
  • Worn-down teeth
  • Chipped teeth
  • Misaligned, uneven, or irregularly shaped teeth

In the case of discoloration, the ideal choice for your needs depends on how significant of a change is needed. While Lumineers enhance the brilliance of a smile that is moderately discolored, internal dental staining usually needs traditionally prepared porcelain veneers.

Porcelain Veneers

If you’re looking for a permanent solution, porcelain veneers may be the right choice. These thin ceramic shells are custom-made in a dental lab and designed to cover problem areas and blend in with your natural dentin. Veneers can restore the original color, shape, size, or length of the tooth, and they are stain-resistant, durable, and look very natural.

Porcelain veneers offer unique benefits:

  • Look natural
  • Gum tissue adapts well to porcelain
  • Resistant to stains and chipping
  • Veneers will “brighten’ teeth
  • More durable than composite bonding

Lumineers

Lumineers are a brand name for minimal prep veneers. If you’re looking for a solution that offers long-term benefits while still being reversible, this option may prove more suitable to your needs. Standard porcelain veneers require preparation of the teeth, but Lumineers are ultra-thin, resilient ceramic that requires very little to no alteration. Lumineers are made out of porcelain, which is stain-resistant and natural-looking. As the existing dental structure is left mostly intact, this procedure typically takes less time than receiving conventional veneers.  

Lumineers are considered a more conservative treatment and ideal for small teeth and pushed-back teeth, as the added height of the restoration will not make your smile look unnatural. If all teeth in your visible smile line are small or oddly shaped, Lumineers are best applied in comprehensive treatment to address front-facing teeth.

Is Color Your Main Concern?

Teeth whitening cannot always lift discoloration on enamel. It the staining is due to an infection or the enamel is grey with age, the most effective approach is to cover the front of teeth with a veneer. As Lumineers are thin, they may too transparent to conceal dark teeth. Porcelain veneers, however, can accomplish this, making your smile look bright white.

Let a Professional Help You Decide

There are advantages with both veneers and Lumineers, and because everyone is different, one is not necessarily the better choice. If you are not completely satisfied with the aesthetics of your smile, it is a good idea to do as much research as you can and find a professional who can meet your needs. Both porcelain veneers and Lumineers can transform your teeth and help you love your smile.  

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Testimonials

Dr. Pescastore,

I just had to take a minute to let you know how much me and my family appreciate everything you have done for us. When we met in 2001 I was honestly anxious about the work I needed to have done. I was nervous about the results and also about the potential pain it might take to achieve the smile I wanted. You were so thorough in your evaluation of my extensive dental history and so clear in your explanation of the procedures required that I felt confident to take your recommendations and trust my smile to you. I have never regretted that decision. I am so grateful for the way you and your wonderful staff made every appointment as easy and comfortable as it could possibly have been. I was always happy to be going there knowing I would be treated so well and love the results. I still feel the same way, and look forward to my appointments with you and your caring staff. I really enjoy the spa like feeling and always leave there more relaxed than when I arrived. My friends are always surprised to learn that I look forward to my dentist appointments as they are lamenting about theirs.

I am especially grateful for the way you have treated my daughters. They too had many dentists before you and were nervous about going to the dentist. Thanks to you and Stacey and the rest of your wonderful staff they now share my feeling about going to the dentist and are happy to be there. Brooke is so afraid of needles that even at seventeen years old she still cries if she thinks she might get a shot at the doctors office. She was very nervous before her first appointment with you, in spite of mine and her sisters assurance that it really wouldn't hurt. Thank you for proving us right. Now even Brooke is not afraid to go to the dentist. I also want you to know how grateful I am for the emergency care you gave Sadie when she chipped her front tooth. I really appreciate you changing your own plans for the day to help her. She was so upset about the way her tooth looked that she cried all the way to your office. She, like me, left your office that day feeling great about herself and her smile. You have really made a positive difference in our lives and we are all so grateful to you for it. We all look forward to seeing you and your great team for our future dental needs.

With Great Respect and Many Thanks,

Pennie Gaddis

I look back at old photographs and realize I spent years hiding teeth. I had braces in my 30s and made the mistake of having my orthodontist apply veneers to my discolored, misshapen teeth. I was his first veneers patient, and I learned that when you're having cosmetic dentistry done, you should have a cosmetic dentist do it. When I decided to have those veneers replaced, I found an expert Dr. Pescatore. In fact, it was just a few weeks before my wedding that I asked Dr. Pescatore to do my smile makeover. I trusted him completely and knew from my first appointment that I was in good hands. He impressed me with his concern that my veneers look natural, and they do. My smile is huge in my wedding pictures, not only because I had a new husband but also because I had fabulous new teeth! I'm grateful to Dr. Pescatore and his caring, attentive staff for what they did for me. I finally have the smile I'd always wanted.

Evelyn Dalton

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