Is It Possible to Get No-Prep Laminates in Apgujeong?

Hello

Today, I’ll introduce no-prep laminates.

Are no-prep laminates really no-prep?

In other words, are they truly no-prep, or do they not remove any tooth structure at all? I’ll explain that here.

The reality of no-prep laminates

Many of you may have gone to another dental clinic after hearing that, even though they are called no-prep laminates, at least a minimal amount of tooth reduction is needed.

What about laminate cases that require reduction, even if it is minimal?

The front teeth are not aligned neatly, and some parts protrude. To prevent the laminates from becoming too thick after they are bonded. If another clinic said that tooth reduction was necessary, that is a fact. If you go to another clinic, you will hear the same opinion.

For no-prep laminates to truly be no-prep, the arrangement of the six front teeth must be neat first. Differences in tooth height are acceptable to some extent. Lengthening a shorter tooth to match the neighboring tooth is possible without reduction. However, if a tooth is rotated or has a protruding area, that part must be reduced for the laminate to be possible. As long as the assumption that the alignment is neat holds true, no-prep laminates become possible.

If the alignment is neat, but the front teeth are large and protrusive, then no-prep laminates may still be possible, but after bonding, the thickness of the laminates can make the front teeth look even more protruded and larger.

If you do not want that kind of laminate, you can either shave off one layer from the front surface of the teeth by the thickness of the laminate and bond it, or make the no-prep laminate very, very thin and bond it. You came for no-prep laminates because you did not want your teeth shaved down, but even minimal reduction is still reduction, so in cases like this, I recommend a very, very thin laminate.

If the alignment is even, but you came for no-prep laminates because of tooth color, whitening the teeth too often to brighten their color will make them increasingly sensitive. In such cases, no-prep laminates become the answer.

For those whose alignment is fairly even but whose front teeth have slight height differences and a step-like mismatch, we decided to make the recessed areas slightly thicker to match them.

No-prep laminate Jelami fitting

This is what the fitting looks like. The six front teeth, from canine to canine, are attached as one piece of temporary fitting plastic.

Here, we do a final check of the actual laminate thickness, shape, and length, and if there is anything you want to adjust, you can modify it right away. We also check whether the line formed by the lips and upper teeth when smiling is harmonious. When smiling at a 45-degree angle, we check whether the front teeth look like they are collapsing inward like a buck tooth. We also check whether they look protrusive. Fine adjustments to the angle of the front teeth and to the height differences of the front teeth are areas where an orthodontist does a good job.

We check not only the teeth, but also the face and the shape of the mouth when smiling. So if we move on to fabrication only after the patient has finally confirmed the most satisfying shape, length, and form, there will be no regrets after the laminates are bonded.

Once no-prep laminates are bonded, they are difficult to remove. They have to be ground down completely. Once they are bonded, you may say things like, “It feels like xylitol” or “It feels like horse teeth.”

To prevent things like the front teeth looking even more protrusive than before and feeling more prominent, we go through the fitting process.

No-prep laminate Jelami

This is the appearance after the final no-prep laminates have been bonded.

Crystal-like transparency. A natural gradient that shows the original tooth color as it rises from the lower part of the tooth upward, so it does not look too uniformly white, and a rounded shape that does not look like a fake tooth. Naturalness looks the most beautiful.

After some time had passed, the patient was eating something hard with the front teeth and developed a tiny crack, so they decided to replace one of the center front teeth.

This is what it looks like after the laminate on one tooth has been completely ground down and removed.

That proves it was truly no-prep, right? The slightly darker original tooth is showing through.

Even if it is ground down, your own tooth is preserved underneath, so there is no need for temporary teeth and daily life is still possible.

If you want white teeth but feel burdened by whitening them too often, and if tooth reduction also feels burdensome, I recommend no-prep laminates.