New Lumineers over Old

I’ve had my lumineers for about 5 years. They’re okay but not as white as I wanted them. At the time, my dentist said that’s as white as they get. To me, they look dingy especially compared to other smile makeovers I’m seeing out there. I’m thinking about having him put new lumineers over them because it seems like you can get whiter now. However, my friend (who’s makeover is very white) said she got porcelain veneers. If I can’t get a whiter lumineers, can I put porcelain veneers over lumineers?

Shea S.

Dear Shea,

Before I answer your question, I want to clear up a misconception. Lumineers is simply a brand of porcelain veneers. Your problem wasn’t the brand but the dentist who provided your smile makeover. He obviously doesn’t understand cosmetic dentistry. First, your original Lumineers were able to be made as white as you wanted them, even five years ago. Even ten years ago. The lab follows the instructions of the dentist. Though, admittedly, the Lumineers lab (DenMat) has a bad reputation when it comes to quality and one of the reasons many expert cosmetic dentists will avoid the brand.

As for your question about placing Lumineers on top of Lumineers, the answer is you can but won’t want to. Here’s why.

First, it’s just as easy to do the case completely over from scratch than it is to put new veneers over old ones. Therefore, you won’t save any money doing it that way as opposed to getting it done over.

Second, it will be less secure. The bonding does better on natural tooth structure than it does on porcelain. Plus, now you’ve doubled your chances of bonding failures. You’ve got the bonding failure possibility from the original as well as the now greater possibility with the less reliable bond.

Finally, the margin. Putting one atop another increases the risk of staining and picking up things which can get trapped and increase bacteria leading to decay.

Those three things would lead me to suggest you simply have your smile makeover redone. More importantly, have it redone by a different dentist. You could get a refund based on the fact that he lied to you and told you the color was unavailable, which it most certainly wasn’t.

Who Should Do Your Smile Makeover

You want an expert cosmetic dentist to do your new porcelain veneers. I don’t know what area of the country you’re in so can’t give you a specific recommendation. However, the mynewsmile.com website has a link to find a cosmetic dentist.

The best part of this is they screen them ahead of time. Dentists hoping to be listed have to prove both they’re technical knowledge as well as their artistic skill. There’s no way for them to just pay and be listed. The site takes their reputation seriously and only lists the best of cosmetic dentists. Anyone there will give you a gorgeous smile. You’ll just input your zip code as well as how far you’re willing to travel and they’ll give you a list of qualified cosmetic dentists in that radius.

Best of luck with your new smile.
This blog is brought to you by Naperville Dentist Dr. David Newkirk.