Good Candidate for Lumineers | Celebrity Dentist Dr. Anthony Mobasser

Am I a Good Candidate for Lumineers?

Wondering if you are a good candidate for lumineers, consider the top cosmetic dentist in Beverly Hills, Dr. Mobasser.

The best way to answer this question is by visiting the cosmetic dentist. They need to do a full mouth evaluation in order to see basically whether your teeth are crowded, or in alignment or rotated. Are there black spaces between your gums? What’s the color of your existing teeth? Is there recession of the gums? Are the gum architecture housing your teeth in ideal positions, and symmetrical or asymmetry exists? Does the bite allow the lumineers to be placed on your teeth? The bite (or occlusion) determines if the placement of the lumineers can still function well with your bite( since in lumineers we are adding porcelain), and if there is room for the lumineer to wrap around the back of your front teeth, to restore worn edges.

In general Lumineers are an excellent procedure. However not everyone is a candidate for lumineers.The most important benefit of lumineers is to widen the upper arch. Most patients that have a narrow upper arch want their smile to look fuller, and more zygomatic.

In most cases after a full mouth comprehensive evaluation, we can help you widen your smile, and give you a fuller smile. 

Since Lumineers or no prep veneers are an addition of porcelain procedure, means we are adding porcelain onto the existing teeth. It can work excellently. However, if you are getting lumineers, know that your teeth are going to be a little bit bulkier than they are right now. Now, when we say “a little bit”, we mean that some patients cannot take it. Some other patients are totally okay. Basically, it’s best that you come in and we’ll evaluate that as well as the color.

Speaking of color, if you happen to have a darker teeth color, you should not expect to get a snow-white smile with lumineers since the thickness of the porcelain on no-prep veneers is about 0.3 millimeters, which is very minute and the dark color of your existing teeth can show through. So, if you want to make the color really, really white, it’s possible that you won’t be able to get to your goal because 0.3 millimeters of porcelain is not enough to hide discolored teeth.

The best course of action is to come in and let us take a look at you. The first visit is complimentary, but then we will let you know if we need x-rays, impressions, bite analysis, and checking the foundation of the teeth prior to starting the no prep veneers or lumineers. Most patients who have lumineers and experiencing problems, are because they never attended to basic gum treatment, recessions, uneven gum architecture, or checking their bite prior to getting lumineers. 

As far as the cost of the lumineers goes, it depends on the experience of the dentist and the complexity of the case. Usually, lumineers are less expensive than veneers or crowns. However, they are very technique-sensitive if you want them to last a long time. On average, we would say lumineers start at $1,750 by an average Los Angeles dentist and can go up from there, depending on the complexity and the condition of your teeth and occlusion.