Cosmetic Dentistry Orange County | Huefner Sensational Smiles Blog

Serving Laguna Niguel, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Santa Margarita, and Surrounding Areas Of Orange County, California

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Benefits of White Fillings

Anyone approaching the half-century mark is likely to have a few of the obvious, metal fillings placed in his or her mouth. Thankfully, modern dentistry offers today’s patients more options—and those old metal fillings can even be replaced. Composite white fillings are durable, conservative, very esthetic and can generally be used for small to medium sized cavities.

Natural Looking Fillings
Even though traditional metal amalgam fillings filled the cavities, they do not appreciably strength an otherwise tooth weakened by decay and are oftentimes very obvious when the patient smiled or laughed; white composite fillings look just like natural tooth enamel, so no one even notices their presence.

An Easy Filling Placement Process
Like having a metal filling, having a white filling placed is a very similar in that it requires only one visit to Dr. Huefner.

First, Dr. Huefner makes your tooth completely comfortable by using a very gentle local anesthetic. Then, when your tooth is numb he will remove the decayed tooth portion caused by the cavity, and then disinfect and prepare your tooth’s surface ready for the filling. Next, a composite material that matches your tooth’s natural shade is placed into the cavity. Finally, Dr. Huefner will sculpt the filling to a natural tooth’s shape.

Once the procedure is complete, dental laser light will harden the filling and bond it to the internal surface of the cavity. The resulting filling surface will be just like that of a tooth that has never had a cavity or filling.

If you need to have a tooth filled and would like to utilize white composite fillings, please call (949) 495-6322 today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Norman Huefner at Sensational Smiles.

posted by Patti at 12:34 PM

Friday, November 7, 2008

The Difference Between Crowns and Bridges and Onlays

Dental crowns and bridges are extremely useful tools to restore badly damaged teeth. Crowns correct the entire surface of the tooth. Dental bridge placement is used as an alternative to a dental implant to replace missing teeth. A dental bridge is a permanent tooth replacement attached to the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth or teeth. Best of all a dental bridge fixed and relatively permanent and is not able to be removed (taken in or out of the mouth) by the patient.

Crowns and Onlays
Dental crown and onlay placement generally is accomplished in two office visits. On the first visit, Dr. Huefner will remove the part of your tooth that is decayed or cracked, and any other old filling in place. Also, crowns also done on teeth badly broken down or that have already had a root canal. Onlays are much more conservative, requiring less drilling of the teeth and are utilized in situations where the tooth is less damaged and not require a full crown. The actual tooth surface will be prepared for the crown or onlay. A mold will be made of the tooth; this mold will then be used to create a template for the crown or onlay. A temporary crown or onlay will be worn until you visit Dr. Huefner a second time. At the second visit, the permanent crown or onlay will be placed over the tooth and fastened with a super-strong bonding substance.

Bridges
Dental bridges, on the other hand, fill in the gaps that are left by missing teeth. Dental bridges are replacement teeth attached to crowns placed on each side of the missing tooth. Permanent dental bridges are often necessary because leaving a space or gap where a tooth is missing causes a variety of dental problems, including gum disease and teeth shifting out of place in your mouth. Also a missing tooth is very unattractive. A bridge prevents these issues from occurring. Sometimes patients utilize removable bridges or partial dentures, but permanent dental bridges are much preferred because they are not removable and cannot be taken in and out of the mouth by the patient…they are like your own teeth!

If you are in need of a cosmetic dentistry procedure, please call (949) 495-6322 today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Norman Huefner at Sensational Smiles.

posted by Patti at 12:21 PM

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