Do you have stained, chipped or misaligned teeth? Dr.Hage can help to improve the look of your smile.
A bright, beautiful smile doesn’t have to involve serious dental surgery or expensive cosmetic treatments. If your teeth are moderately misaligned, stained, or otherwise in need of mild refurbishment, dental veneers can drastically improve your appearance in just a few dental appointments.
Dental veneers are thin porcelain shells that are bonded to the surface of your teeth to improve their color, shape, size or length. The types of cosmetic dental problems that veneers can fix include:
Veneers can be used on single or multiple teeth, and they are custom-made to match the color of your natural teeth.
Traditional porcelain veneers and Lumineers are both great options for restoring the full radiance of your smile. Although both are made of porcelain, there are some key differences between the two, starting with their size.
Lumineers are a brand of veneers, which are thin porcelain shells that cover the front of your teeth to hide surface flaws and minor gaps. Lumineers are thinner than traditional veneers (about 0.3 millimeters thick versus 0.5 millimeters), and they don’t require filing down the enamel on your natural teeth before placement.
Placing Lumineers is a two-step process. First, your dentist will take detailed impressions of your smile and help you choose the right shade of high-quality, medical-grade porcelain. After a dental lab fabricates the Lumineers, your dentist will bond them to your teeth using dental cement. To ensure the strongest bond possible, your dentist can also apply a special etching solution over your teeth before bonding.
An obvious benefit of Lumineers veneers is walking out of the dental office with a brighter, whiter, more uniform smile, but there are other reasons why Lumineers are a great option for improving the appearance of your teeth:
The main benefit of dental veneers is a beautiful new smile, but there are other benefits as well.
Caring for veneers is as easy as caring for your natural teeth. Just brush, floss, and visit your dentist regularly.
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Lumineers can conceal a wide range of dental imperfections, including:
Ideal candidates for Lumineers should be in good oral health, with no current tooth decay or signs of gum disease, and with enamel strong enough to support the porcelain shells. Additionally, while Lumineers can easily cover up minor to moderate staining and discoloration, darker or more pronounced stains might be visible through Lumineers, requiring thicker veneers instead.
Caring for your new Lumineers veneers is the same as caring for your natural teeth: daily brushing and flossing, and twice-yearly checkups with your dentist. However, you should be careful when brushing, avoiding overly aggressive force, which can loosen Lumineers over time. It’s also important to avoid using your teeth as tools for anything but chewing – this includes biting fingernails, chewing on pens or ice, or using your teeth to open packages.
The cost of Lumineers veneers in San Diego varies greatly by the dentist you use, the number of teeth treated, and how complex your individual procedure will be. But in general, the cost of Lumineers veneers ranges from $800-$2,000 per tooth. While most dental insurance policies don’t cover Lumineers because it is a cosmetic procedure, many dental offices offer financing plans to help cover expenses.
If you want a fast, painless, beautiful solution to your imperfect smile, Lumineers veneers might be right for you. For more information or to schedule a consultation, call Smile Designers located in Pint Loma, Rosecrans at (619) 222-6000.
Dental veneers are considered cosmetic improvements rather than necessary dental procedures, so dental insurance usually does not cover the cost. However, some insurance policies will cover all or a portion of the cost of veneers if they are needed to restore the structure of the tooth or if an existing veneer is damaged.
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