When Lumineers are placed using a "no drilling, no shots" technique these veneers do in fact offer an alternative to traditional porcelain veneer methodology.
With traditional porcelain veneering technique a dentist will first reduce a tooth (grind away some of the tooth's surface) approximately the same thickness as the porcelain veneer they plan to place will be. The idea is that, in general, each tooth has an ideal contour and thickness. Since a dentist does not want to create an end result where a veneered tooth has become oversized or bulky, they will trim the tooth back the same amount as the thickness of the porcelain veneer being placed.
In most cases this tooth trimming means that a dental anesthetic will be required so the dental patient remains comfortable while the tooth reduction process is performed.
