Huefner Sensational Smiles Blog

Yellow teeth! This really frustrated Paul and he wanted to do something about it. He had tried bleaching, but his teeth were just too discolored for bleaching to give him the whiter, brighter smile than he had always wanted. Also, his teeth were crooked and he had a number of the mercury-amalgam fillings done in his youth on his side and back teeth. Not only did those discolor his teeth almost blackish, but they were weakening his teeth and they were starting to crack and break. It was time to replace the old dentistry and get a smile that he would be proud of.
BEFORE

Dr. Huefner recommended porcelain veneers for Paul, as not only could his teeth be made a lot whiter (as he had always wanted them to be), but they would be straight and even. Also, the veneers on the side teeth could be made so at the same time they would replace the mercury amalgam fillings giving him two benefits....better looking teeth and also stronger.
AFTER

Paul’s smile makeover with porcelain veneers was done in just a few visits, beginning to end just three weeks.

Dr. Norman Huefner, General and Cosmetic Dentistry, Laguna Niguel, CA

Labels: irvine, mission viejo, porcelain crowns, porcelain veneers, santa margarita

BEFORE

After considering the options of braces vs. cosmetic dentistry, it was very obvious to Tracy that porcelain veneers were the way to go for her. Not only could she have straight teeth, but she could get them whiter and in just a few dental appointments. After having porcelain veneers on her upper teeth, Tracy decided to have her lower teeth veneered as well.

AFTER

Labels: dana point, ladera ranch, orange county cosmetic dentist, porcelain veneers, smile makeover

BEFORE
What she wanted was a mature, adult-looking smile. Braces weren't the answer, she needed larger teeth. And she didn't want to show as much of her gums either, could that be fixed?
Fortunately for Andrea her problems could be corrected with cosmetic dentistry. First, we used a gum laser to remove some of the excess gums around her teeth. That made her teeth look a little longer. Then we placed porcelain veneers on her upper teeth, making them longer and in normal proportion to her face and mouth. Also, we made her veneers whiter and with a more natural unworn feminine shape. The results were fantastic for Andrea! She loved her new smile and reports that she get compliments everywhere she goes.
AFTER


Dr. Norman Huefner, General and Cosmetic Dentistry, Laguna Niguel, CA

Labels: aliso viejo, ladera ranch, orange county cosmetic dentist, porcelain crowns, porcelain veneers

One of the biggest concerns people have about their smile is that their teeth discolor over the years. Bleaching is one answer, but often it has to be repeated and doesn't produce teeth as white as patient want. Porcelain veneers is an answer to whiter teeth, and also many other issues (such as size, crowding, proportion, shape, length, etc.), but many patients want to know that their new smile with porcelain veneers won't change color and darken over the years. This was certainly something that used to happen with plastic bonding that was done a decade or so ago.
Fortunately, with a smile on my face, I can assure my cosmetic dentistry patients that by using porcelain veneers we almost never see this the veneers darken over time. Porcelain veneers are dense and smooth as glass, and as such rarely pick up any stain. In placing porcelain veneers for over 20 years I have only had one instance where my patient had veneers that were staining, and that was because he was an avid cigar smoker. After polishing off the cigar stain and showing him a few techniques to improve his brushing habits, his veneers never seemed to pick up any stain after that. However, natural teeth and the older fashioned plastic veneers (which we used to use a lot in the 1980s when cosmetic bonding was first introduced into dentistry) will pick up stain and will often times darken over the years. To help overcome this, natural teeth can be polished in the dental office and bleaching treatments can be used. Old fashioned plastic bonding used to get a yellowish discoloration over the years because of the hardener incorporated into it, but with newer hardeners used today this rarely happen any more, but they still tend to stain and chip more than porcelain. However because of the superior color stability and increased strength of porcelain veneers, most dentists doing significant smile enhancements prefer using porcelain rather than plastic bonding for their patients.
Here is a photo of a patient who returned to my practice 19 years after I did porcelain veneers on her upper front four teeth. Notice that the veneers still match her other upper teeth, no wear or chipping, and they still have a great shine.

THE FACT THAT THESE VENEERS ABOVE WERE DONE 19 YEARS AGO SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE COLOR RESISTANCE AND DURABILITY OF PORCELAIN VENEERS!

It is interesting that this patient returned to my practice because she now wanted all her teeth whiter. This brings up a very important point, that since porcelain veneers don’t discolor it is essential that the cosmetic dentist and patient together choose an appropriate color for the new veneers. Back in 1986 when I originally placed those four porcelain veneers almost all patients and dentists tried to make teeth look natural and not too light in color, as those were the times before teeth whitening procedures became so common. But these days most all patients want whiter and brighter smiles, and choose colors to make them look younger, cleaner and more professional. Thus, when patients have darker teeth, like this lady, today we would generally recommend to do porcelain veneers on 8-10 teeth, to create a more esthetic and homogenous smile that goes along with the lighter color. These are some examples of more current smile makeover with veneers that we are doing in our practice. Note the lighter, more attractive colors currently in vogue.

Dr. Norman Huefner, General and Cosmetic Dentistry, Laguna Niguel, CA

Labels: aliso viejo, laguna niguel, lake forest, newport beach, porcelain veneers, teeth whitening

BEFORE

After carefully evaluating her smile, Barbara expressed that she also didn't like the color of her teeth (they were too yellow for her) and she though she would like her front teeth a little bit longer. "Could you do that for me and how would you do it, Dr. Huefner?"

Dr. Huefner suggested that he place Empress porcelain veneers on her front and side teeth, thereby controlling the size, length, proportion, shape and color of all her upper teeth that were visible when she smiled. Below is the results that were achieved for Barbara with Empress porcelain veneers.

AFTER

Dr. Norman Huefner, Cosmetic and General Dentistry, Laguna Niguel, CA

Labels: aliso viejo, cosmetic dentist, dana point, lake forest, porcelain veneers, teeth whitening

Dr. Huefner suggested cosmetic dentistry with porcelain veneers, and within a few weeks had created a sensational smile for her with 8 porcelain veneers by MAC (see www.macveneers.com).

Not surprisingly, Rachel then went on and won the crown at the Miss Teen California-International Pageant.
Congratulations Rachel, we're all very proud of you! You look absolutely beautiful.

Dr. Norman Huefner, General and Cosmetic Dentistry, Laguna Niguel, CA

Labels: cosmetic dentist, irvine, mission viejo, orange county, porcelain veneers, teeth whitening

BEFORE

She consulted with us to find out what her options were with cosmetic dentistry. After evaluating her teeth and smile, and finding out more just what kind of smile she wanted, we advised doing her cosmetic dentistry with porcelain veneers. It would only takes a few visits, and Shannon could have her new smile completed in little over a month. Understandingly, she was appreshensive, but couldn’t wait to get started on her new smile.

AFTER

Above is the sensational new smile we created for Shannon with porcelain veneers. Note how symmetrical her smile is now, and doesn’t lean towards one side. Also how the edges of the teeth follow the curve of her lower lip. That is an important concept in cosmetic dentistry, called following the “smile line“. The thing that Shannon like best was the color, how much whiter and brighter her smile was, but still extremely natural looking.

Labels: irvine, ladera ranch, orange county cosmetic dentist, porcelain veneers, teeth whitening

Sometimes people wait years to "finally" fix up their smile. This patient of ours was just such a person. She had several issues with her teeth and gums that embarrassed her....a missing tooth, a remaining baby tooth, short worn teeth, too much gums showing and crooked, discolored teeth. Now was the time to get her smile fixed up!

We started her correction by using the dental gum laser to even out her gums and reduce the gumminess. Then we bleached (whitened) her lower teeth. Next we placed porcelain veneers and an all-ceramic bridge (to replace the missing tooth). She was elated with the result, an attractive, more youthful and feminine new smile! From start to finish took just over a month.

Dr. Norman Huefner, General and Cosmetic Dentistry, Laguna Niguel, CA

Labels: aliso viejo, cosmetic dentist, dana point, newport beach, porcelain veneers, teeth whitening

Labels: cosmetic dentist, irvine, ladera ranch, lake forest, porcelain veneers, teeth whitening