Pros and Cons of Lumineers

The field of dentistry has made a number of advances. Today, the customer has a number of options to not only improve and restore normal functions of teeth, but also to improve his or her appearance. Lumineers represent one such advancement. These are commonly used to correct various dental flaws such as chipped teeth, minor misalignments, and teeth discoloration. Lumineers are an easily affordable solution for correcting all these conditions.

Lumineers offer a number of advantages. For this reason, dentists usually recommend them over porcelain veneers. If you are given the choice to select between Lumineers and porcelain veneers, your choice should always be the former. They are not only advantageous, but also less costly when compared to the latter.

One of the major advantages of using Lumineers over conventional veneers is that the surgical procedure is much simpler. It is also less painful. This is because the teeth need not be ground down to install the Lumineers. On the other hand, a layer of enamel has to be removed before placing conventional porcelain veneers.

Lumineers also cost less than conventional veneers. They usually cost 25% less than conventional veneers. A further margin arises because of the simplicity of the surgical procedure necessary to install Lumineers. However, costs will differ from dentist to dentist. Normally, Lumineers cost $1000-$2000 per tooth. The cost will depend on the condition of your teeth, fabrication costs and the dentist's fee. You may also have to pay for other overhead costs such as screening and diagnostic procedures.

One of the major disadvantages of Lumineers is that there may be a slight mismatch with the surrounding teeth. They may not blend perfectly with the neighboring teeth. This is because the teeth are not ground down and the Lumineers are installed directly or them. For this reason, they may appear a little bigger. However, experienced dental surgeons can cover this up. Mismatches occur only rarely.

Crown Lengthening Procedure

The procedure of crown lengthening is used to make a tooth appear longer by removing either gum tissue, bone, or both. Before the procedure even takes place you will need to have a consultation with your general dentist. This will allow your dentist to review medical history and x-rays, as well as set a date for surgery.

Do not let the word surgery scare you from this procedure either. Crown lengthening is a fairly common procedure that can be done with local anesthesia. Once a patient is numbed, a small incision will be made around the teeth that need crown lengthening. Next the extra gum tissue will be carefully pulled back from the tooth so that the supporting bone is exposed. This will allow access to the root of the teeth.

The gums position is then molded to form a better position on the tooth and perfectly shaped to make sure both sides are even and look the same. Once the gum has been peeled back and the dentist is sure enough of the tooth structure is revealed the area will be rinsed with sterile salt water and the flaps will be stitched back together.

After the crown lengthening procedure is performed teeth will look longer because the gums are now sitting at a lower level. Usually this procedure can be done in one visit, but will vary in time depending how many teeth need the surgery. To keep the swelling down after surgery ice can be applied to your face and in 7 to 10 day the sutures can be removed.

Benefits of Crown Lengthening

Crown lengthening is a procedure that involves the removal of gum tissue, bone, or both to make a tooth appear longer. This procedure can be used for aesthetic needs but is also used for tooth restoration.

When a tooth needs to be restored, usually a filling or a crown is used. Sometimes there is not enough tooth structure above the gum line to create a solid foundation for a filling or a crown. This can happen when a tooth is fractured at the gum line. There is also a lack of support from the tooth if there is extensive decay, which reduces the remaining healthy tooth area. To be able to continue with the tooth restoration by using a filling or a crown a dentist must first expose more of the tooth by removing tissue or bone. A patient will benefit by this crown lengthening procedure because now more of the tooth is unveiled allowing to help as an anchor for the future restorative work.

Crown lengthening can also be used to make a smile more aesthetically pleasing. This procedure can be used to correct “gummy smile”. A smile can be referred to as a “gummy smile” when an unusually large amount of gum tissue shows around the upper part of the teeth making teeth look shorter. This type of smile can make some people embarrassed and be afraid to smile. By getting the crown lengthening procedure patients with a “gummy smile” can get their gum line repositioned which will not only improve their smile but also improves the contours of their face.

Whether you need crown lengthening in preparation for restorative work, or for esthetics reason the great advantage of this procedure is that it can be performed in one visit. After a simple anesthetic the excess gum tissue will be removed to expose more of the tooth.