Lumineers vs. Porcelain Veneers: Which Is Better?

Chips, cracks, stains, even irregularly shaped teeth — there are lots of issues that can get between you and the smile you want. Veneers can boost your confidence by covering up the natural tooth, giving you an outwardly perfect smile. But before you can get them, you have to figure out which type is best for you.

Two of the most popular options are traditional porcelain veneers and Lumineers. While similar, there are many differences between the two. So, which is right for you? We’ve got the details you need to decide between porcelain veneers and Lumineers.

Treatment Overviews

Traditional porcelain veneers are thin shells that a dentist will affix to individual teeth. Each one is unique, customized to the preferences of the patient and the qualities of the tooth. These veneers can have different compositions depending on the lab that makes them, but it usually contains natural feldspar, kaolin, and quartz.

While there is no guarantee on how long they’ll last, it isn’t uncommon for porcelain veneers to go strong for 15–20 years. Anticipate a price tag of $925–$2,500 per tooth, depending on the lab that makes them and your dentist’s fees.

On the surface, Lumineers are essentially the same as porcelain veneers — they’re thin shells custom-made from porcelain. But Lumineers’ claim to fame is that they don’t require any prep, so your dentist won’t have to shave your enamel to place them (in most cases). Lumineers are an exclusive DenMat, LLC product and the only veneers that use their proprietary Cerinate porcelain, so while you can find other no-prep veneers, they won’t use this material.

Cerinate porcelain is key to what makes Lumineers so great. It lets the company make them at least half as thick as traditional porcelain veneers without sacrificing much strength or longevity. In fact, with the right care, your Lumineers can even outlast traditional porcelain veneers.

Quality Comparison

Chewing, cleaning, foods, and beverages — your teeth face an onslaught of activity every day. So if you’re getting veneers of any kind, you want them strong enough to withstand all those daily stresses. Fortunately, both traditional porcelain veneers and Lumineers use high-quality materials for impressive longevity and comfort.

Materials

Labs will typically make porcelain veneers out of feldspar, kaolin, or quartz, which are all strong, durable materials. These veneers are around 0.5mm thick. Lumineers, which are around 0.2mm thick, use Cerinate porcelain, a proprietary material from DenMat designed to retain strength even with thinner veneers. Despite the difference in thickness, both materials are strong enough to stand up to years of chewing, biting, and other stresses.

Durability

Traditional veneers are the longest-lasting kind, often going 15–20 years or more before you need to replace them. According to DenMat, Lumnineers can also last up to 20 years with proper care. However, other sources note that they tend to last more in the 7–15 year range. That could be because the latter focuses on how long they last for actual, imperfect patients versus how long they could last under perfect circumstances.

Either way, you’re getting veneers that will last at least several years. Of course, their durability also depends on how well you care for them. If you maintain good oral hygiene and don’t use them as tools (opening packages, etc.), you should have either type for the long run.

Comfort

Either type of veneer will feel just like your natural teeth, so you should adjust to them pretty quickly. After a while, you might even forget you have them.

The only discomfort you might experience is if you break or dislodge a traditional porcelain veneer. Since your dentist has to shave down your enamel to place them, your teeth will be extra sensitive to hot, cold, and other sensations without them. It will also make your tooth more susceptible to diseases and infections, so if you lose or break a porcelain veneer, visit your dentist for a replacement as soon as possible.

Affordability Comparison

There’s no getting around it: veneers can be pricey, no matter which type you get. Even though Lumineers are slightly less expensive, they can still yield a hefty final bill. While there are ways to make those prices more manageable, they’re still an investment, especially when you consider replacements down the road.

Sticker Price

Traditional veneers might be the most popular and durable type, but they’re also usually the most expensive — around $925–$2,500 per tooth. If you only need one veneer, that might seem manageable, but if you need several teeth covered, you could have a pretty steep final bill. Lumineers are often slightly less expensive, but at around $800–$2,000 per tooth, they’re still pricier than a lot of other dental and orthodontic treatments.

Financing

Prices like that are intimidating, but there are ways to make them more manageable — primarily financing. These plans break down the bill into monthly payments on a schedule that works for you, although they usually require a credit check to qualify.

Since your dentist’s office will handle your bill, they’ll also be your primary resource for financing as well. Some offices offer their own payment plans or partner with third-party financing companies. Even if yours doesn’t, they should be able to point you toward some outside resources.

Insurance Coverage

Since veneers are mainly a cosmetic treatment, most dental insurance plans won’t cover them. If yours are medically necessary because of an injury or disease, you might receive coverage, but that’s only in rare cases. That said, every insurance plan is different, so check with your provider to find out for sure.

Replacements

As we’ve already noted, the prep involved with traditional veneers means that you can’t go without veneers for the rest of your life. The problem? Veneers don’t last forever. So after they wear out in 15–20 years, you’ll need to pay for new ones.

Lumineers won’t last forever either, but because they don’t require prep, you can have them removed without consequence whenever you’d like. Plus, if you don’t want to pay for replacements, you can just go without them.

Appearance Comparison

Most people get veneers for cosmetic reasons, so of course you want them to look good. Good news: traditional veneers and Lumineers are two of the most effective ways to get an instant smile makeover.

Natural Appearance

Dental labs custom-make veneers for your teeth, and the dentist will texture them to mimic the surfaces of your teeth. They are textured, like the pores on enamel without the actual porousness. They are also slightly translucent on the outermost layer and reflect light the same way enamel does.

The same goes for Lumineers. As long as your dentist does a good job, they shouldn’t look any different — unless you want them whiter than your real teeth. If you’re concerned about getting veneers that match your teeth, consider going to a cosmetic dentist, since they specialize in crafting perfect smiles.

Color

When the lab and your dentist customize your veneers, they choose the color as well. You can usually provide some input here too. They’ll usually match the veneers to the current color, but if you’re getting veneers for all your visible teeth, and you want to brighten your smile, they can choose a slightly whiter shade. Traditional veneers and Lumineers offer the same range of shades.

Staining

Your teeth are porous, and those tiny pores can trap pigments from food and beverages, causing stains. Porcelain veneers, however, have no pores, so they don’t stain nearly as easily. Keep this in mind, since the natural teeth surrounding a veneer could discolor over time, making the veneer look whiter.

But veneers are great for hiding stains too, since they cover the front surfaces of your teeth. Traditional porcelain veneers are thicker and more opaque, so they can hide just about any stain. Because Lumineers are thinner and more translucent, they might allow darker stains to show through.

Convenience Comparison

Veneers can give you a brand you smile by the time you leave the dentist’s office — and that’s pretty convenient. But the process of actually getting veneers is much simpler with Lumineers than traditional porcelain.

Tooth Prep

Traditional porcelain veneers require your dentist to remove 0.5 millimeters of enamel to prevent the veneers from looking strange next to your natural teeth, and this procedure may require anesthesia. Enamel doesn’t regenerate, so you’re losing it for life. If your veneers ever break or wear out, you’ll need to get new ones.

Lumineers are designed to be no-prep, meaning most patients don’t need their teeth reshaped or shaved down prior to placing the veneers. Besides preserving the tooth structure, this makes placement pretty much painless — no anesthesia required.

Timeline

It takes multiple office visits to get porcelain veneers, plus there’s a 2–3 week period between prep and final veneer placement. During that time, you’ll need to wear delicate temporary veneers. Most Lumineers cases require just one or two office visits, and since there is no prep, those visits go faster. DenMat also manufactures Lumineers pretty quickly, with a 1–2 week turnaround on most.

Daily Wear Experience

Once you’ve got your veneers, there’s no difference in how you care for them. Just maintain them like you would your normal teeth. Brush twice a day, floss once a day, and don’t use them to tear open packaging or chew pens. If you feel like one of your veneers is loose or broken, visit your dentist to get it checked out or replaced.

Which Type Is Better?

This is a highly personal decision. To make the right choice for your smile, consider everything from the aesthetic issues you’re hiding to how much you are willing to alter your enamel.

Choose Porcelain Veneers If…

• You’re confident you want to wear veneers for the rest of your life.
• There is no tight deadline ahead of you.
• You have wiggle room in your budget.
• You want to hide deep, dark stains.
• You want to strengthen your teeth.

Choose Lumineers If…

• You want to fully preserve your enamel.
• You want porcelain veneers but need them as fast as possible.
• Budget isn’t everything, but you’d like to save as much as you can.
• Your teeth are stained but not dark brown or purple.
• Strengthening your teeth isn’t a priority.

Other Treatment Options

We’ve gone over all the info you need to make an informed decision between traditional porcelain veneers and Lumineers. But while these are two great treatments, they are far from your only options. Before you invest thousands of dollars, give some thought to the alternatives below.

• Snap-On Veneers: Not everyone likes the permanence of traditional porcelain or semi-permanence of Lumineers. Plenty of people just want to switch up their smile at will. Snap-on veneers are a removable appliance that covers most or all of the teeth, giving you a temporary smile makeover.
• Clear Aligners: If you are considering traditional porcelain veneers or Lumineers to cover up a dental misalignment, you might find it’s better to correct it instead. Clear aligners offer a discreet way to correct tooth gaps, crooked teeth, and other cosmetic dental concerns.
• Teeth Whitening: Veneers can be a great way to cover up stubborn discoloration. However, if you’d rather treat the source of discoloration rather than cover it up, you might want to consider teeth whitening instead. Certain professional whitening systems can even eliminate deep, dark stains.
• Teeth Contouring: Veneers are often used to lengthen short teeth, but they can also reshape teeth. While it can only shave off a small amount of the tooth, since the enamel needs to remain strong, these little changes can make a big difference.

Final Thoughts

Whether you opt for traditional porcelain veneers or Lumineers, you’ll probably love your results. Both offer instant smile makeovers — covering a variety of imperfections — and last years, if not decades. Still, you will find one better suits your needs than the other. Dig into the pros and cons and look beyond these two treatments so you know all your options.