Hartford Lumineers

Lumineers are a popular brand of porcelain veneers. One of the reasons they are well known is that DenMat, the company that makes them, markets them heavily. It also conducts a short and relatively easy certification course, so many dentists feel comfortable working with them, even if they don’t have much cosmetic dentistry experience.

However, Lumineers have aesthetic drawbacks and can limit a dentist’s ability to create a truly beautiful smile. For these reasons, Dr. Michalski prefers to place a different brand of ultrathin veneers. These veneers are crafted by a Master Ceramic Technician with whom Dr. Michalski works closely. That gives him a level of artistic control he cannot get with the large, centralized DenMat laboratory.

Why Choose Ultrathin Veneers?

When Dr. Michalski places a traditional porcelain veneer, he must first prepare the tooth by shaving a tiny amount off its surface. That makes room for the veneer, which is about 0.5mm thick. Ultrathin veneers are only about 0.3mm thick, and they don’t require any shaving of the tooth.

Ultrathin veneers aren’t a good solution for everyone. For instance, if you have deep tooth staining, a traditional veneer will do a better job of hiding it. Dr. Michalski will help you determine what type of veneer will give you the smile makeover you want.

Drawbacks of Lumineers

There are unique challenges when working with Lumineers. Since there’s often no tooth preparation, they can make teeth appear bulky and long if not crafted precisely.

DenMat requires that dentists use the DenMat laboratory for Lumineers. This laboratory is large and impersonal and has been criticized by cosmetic dentists as producing teeth that look bulky and pasty. Using a different ultrathin porcelain, Dr. Michalski is free to use his own Master Ceramic Technician who creates beautiful smiles without the need to alter your teeth.

Placing No-Prep Porcelain Veneers

Before Dr. Michalski places your ultrathin porcelain veneers, he’ll make sure your teeth and gums are healthy. Then, he’ll take impressions of your teeth and make provisional veneers. You’ll wear your provisional veneers home for a thorough tryout of your new smile. When you come back, you’ll tell the doctor what you think, and he’ll adjust the veneers until they’re perfect. When you are in love with your new smile, Dr. Michalski will take an impression of the provisional veneers. He’ll send it to the Master Ceramic Technician, who will make them to match in porcelain.

The last step of getting porcelain veneers is having them bonded to your teeth. Dr. Michalski will do this only when you are completely happy with how they look.

Caring for Porcelain Veneers

Brush and floss your teeth carefully to protect your new smile, especially at the margins where the veneers meet your teeth. If the teeth underneath your veneers start to decay, the repair could affect their appearance. To help prevent this, come in for regular dental cleanings.

If you would like to upgrade your smile with ultrathin veneers, call our office at 860-563-4544 or make an appointment through our online form.