Manufacturers will claim that no-tooth-preparation porcelain veneers, “prepless”  veneers, are a permanent cosmetic solution.  Prepless porcelain veneers are marketed as the panacea of all smile design cases, a painless solution that can reshape, brighten, and whiten a smile.  Prepless porcelain veneers go by the popular trade name of Lumineers, but the truth is, any cosmetic dental lab can fabricate ultra thin porcelain to be placed by your cosmetic dentist without prepartion of existing tooth strucutre.  So, unlike regular dental veneers, removing part of the existing tooth structure is not necessary.

Lumineers or prepless dental veneers sounds like a good deal right?  The problem is that—unless you have very specific circumstances like lots of gaps, or teeth that slant inward and need to built outward—you usually end up with bulky, fake-looking teeth. Compared with Lumineers, traditional San Diego dental veneers can be placed by your cosmetic dentist with as little as a half of millimeter removal of existing tooth structure.  This small amount of tooth strucutre removal can go a long way to giving you that natural looking smile with dental veneers. 

Is there ever a reason to get prepless dental veneers?  Dental veneer case selection is critical for success when placing prepless dental veneers.  Choosing an experienced cosmetic dentist with the experience to decide when tooth preparation is necessary or not, will optimize your cosmetic restorations and dental experience.  The guarantee: you leave with the smile you expected, not the fake looking, buck tooth smile you wanted to avoid.  Remember, prepless dental veneers aren’t for everyone and for the majority of dental veneer cases, some tooth preparation will be required to make sure your smile is natural looking.  If you have the right indication for prepless dental veneers or Lumineers, you maybe able to get that smile you want without removing any of the natural tooth structure.  Otherwise, look for a cosmetic dentist that practices minimally invasive cosmetic dentistry, to save any tooth structure that might have top be removed in your dental veneer treatment.