Once you have placed something like Lumineers over your teeth, what happens to the ongoing health of the underlying teeth? Can you still get cavities, etc.? Will your regular dentist be able to spot the cavities and repair them as easily as before Lumineers? What will filling cavities do to the veneers? What will brushing and flossing do the veneers? Also, is it possible for the veneers to lose their color just like natural teeth? Thanks for your insight!
- David from Georgia
David,
Yes, once you have Lumineers, or any brand of porcelain veneers, it is possible to get cavities in those teeth. You won’t get a cavity under the veneer, but you could get it on the edge or another place on your tooth. This cavity can be filled with white filling materials, and it’s not too different from any other cavity on a front tooth, except that special bonding techniques are needed to bond the filling material to the porcelain. So it’s good to have your artistic, specially trained cosmetic dentist do the filling – just as you would have this special dentist do the original smile makeover.
Having said that, as a cosmetic dentist, I discourage people who tend to not take care of their teeth from getting porcelain veneers. After investing so much money in a beautiful smile, if you then get a lot of cavities on those teeth, it can really affect the longevity of the veneers, and they could end up needing to be replaced with crowns. My advice is that, if you get a smile makeover, take good care of it by brushing and flossing every day, getting regular checkups, and don’t be a constant snacker. The snacking habit leads to lots of cavities.
Other links:
Dr. Robert Thein does Lumineers in Los Angeles. He is very careful.