Dr. Hall,
I recently got Lumineers and am very happy with the results. My only complaint is my upper lip seems to catch on the Lumineers, causing my lip to be very dry. Especially while talking. Is there a product I can use to help this?
– Joy in Nevada
Dear Joy,
I’m glad you’re happy with your Lumineers. While there are problems with Lumineers, they can be appropriate for some situations. But it’s too bad that you are having this problem with your lip. I think you’re being very nice about this issue because it seems to me that if your lip keeps getting stuck while you are speaking that this would be distracting and embarrassing. Other patients who aren’t as nice as you might be complaining loudly about this.
Lumineers are often done with a no-preparation technique, which means they are simply bonded over your existing teeth. The conventional porcelain veneer technique involves reducing the teeth about half a millimeter (approximately the thickness of a fingernail) to make space for the porcelain. This helps prevent the end result from being too thick.
Your teeth now, with the Lumineers, are a little thicker than what is natural. That’s why your lip is catching on them. And that will make your lip a little drier. I don’t believe there is any product that can help prevent that from happening. You could have the Lumineers shaved down a little and then polished well – but there would be a risk of shaving right through them to your tooth enamel, and that might look funny.
This will also lead to drying of your mouth, which can contribute to gum disease or an increased rate of tooth decay.
I don’t think there’s really anything you can do, short of re-doing the Lumineers. You’ll just need to try to adjust and get used to this.
– Dr. Hall
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GlamSmile is another short-cut option for porcelain veneers, like Lumineers
About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
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