Porcelain is a commonly used material in both restorative and cosmetic dentistry. In this article our Saint Louis dentists are going to be telling you why porcelain is used to create one cosmetic restoration in particular—the dental Lumineer.
Keep reading to learn more about how Lumineers work, and how porcelain enables Lumineers to meet our dental patients’ needs.
First, to review, Lumineers are cosmetic restorations that resurface the visible surfaces of the patient’s teeth. Basically, our dentist attaches Lumineers to the patient’s natural dental structure so that the tooth looks:
· Whiter
· Undamaged
· Straight
· Correctly proportioned
Lumineers are made from a specific type of Porcelain called Cerinate porcelain. Cerinate porcelain is designed to be especially strong.
Porcelain is the perfect the material for Lumineers because:
· Porcelain bounces and absorbs light similarly to natural dental enamel. Once your dental Lumineer is applied, it’s going to look like a natural tooth.
· Porcelain can be custom shaded and colored. Again, this allows our dentist to blend in the Lumineer with the patient’s existing teeth.
· Porcelain, especially Cerinate porcelain, is exceptionally strong. Due to the strength and durability of Cerinate porcelain, Lumineers can be made to be even thinner than traditional veneers. Consequently, when placing Lumineers, our dentist does not need to shave down as much dental enamel as he would when placing a traditional veneer.
· Porcelain is also customizable in the sense that it can be cut and filed into any shape.
Our Saint Louis Lumineer dentists have helped so many patients transform their smiles with porcelain restorations—give us a call to see if we can help you too! And if you’d like to learn more about what Lumineers can do, you can check out the Lumineer’s page of our website, and download our information packet. You can also, always, give our dental team a call!