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, July 22, 2009

Porcelain Veneers Used to Correct Crooked Smiles by Dr. Huefner, Orange County Cosmetic Dentist

There have been many interesting studies with regard to the perception of facial beauty and what they determined was that facial symmetry was much more important than individual features. Since teeth and the person’s smile are the strongest focus area (where your attention is drawn when speaking to or looking at), the symmetry of a smile is incredibly important!

Unfortunately, most people have at least some inherent asymmetry: one eye might be slightly higher than the other, the nose might be off center, and sometimes one side of the face is longer than the other. With regards to the smile, lips that move higher or lower on one side than the other or show more teeth on one when the person speaks or smiles is an important thing for the cosmetic dentist to be aware of prior to beginning any smile enhancement procedures like porcelain veneers or porcelain crowns. Most of the time this isn’t a significant problem, but for others, like this patient of mine, her crooked smile really bothered her.

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Note how the teeth all point down to her lower right (her right is on the left of the photo), as seen from the five black lines. Also, that the bottom edges of the teeth cant (lean to one side) as well, as seen on the red line. Together, these all threw off her smile and detracted considerably from much of the beauty of her face.

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To make things more interesting, this patient had some old dentistry that she didn’t like. The teeth and gums appeared as having different lengths. She wanted a whiter, brighter smile that would be even and symmetrical and offset her facial asymmetries. So, taking all aspects and features of her face in consideration here is the beautiful result we achieved with porcelain veneers and a new all-ceramic bridge (replacing her old-fashioned porcelain-to-metal bridge).

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I can’t emphasize enough that in order to create a superb smile and result like this necessitated I pay particular attention to all of her facial features. I fine tuned the gum symmetry and length, shape of the teeth using provisional (temporary) restorations, which allowed her to “test drive” her new smile first. After achieving her full approval at this stage I was able to give my ceramist very specific and precise instructions on how to complete the final porcelain veneers and bridge. End result: A VERY SATISFIED AND HAPPY PATIENT!

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

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posted by Dr. Norman Huefner at 9:21 AM

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Porcelain Veneers and Smile Design, Part I by Dr. Huefner

When considering cosmetic dentistry and a smile makeover what is the perfect “smile style” for your new porcelain veneers or porcelain crowns? In previous articles I discussed that there are over 30,000 different ways that a cosmetic dentist can create a new smile and that there are over 60 different documented “smile styles” available for cosmetic dentists to use as guide and to better communicate with to the cosmetic dental patient and the dental ceramist. In this article we’ll discuss one of the most popular “smile guides”, Dr. William Dickerson’s “LVI Smile Library”. I am particularly fond of this library, as I started my advanced cosmetic training at Dr. Dickerson’s prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies over a decade ago. And since then, following many of the concepts I learned under his tutelage, I’ve done several thousand porcelain veneers and cosmetic crowns, created sensational smiles for hundreds of my patients. Each smile style is a combination of the teeth shapes for the front six teeth. For example, the four front teeth (incisors) could be either square at the corners, square at one corner and rounded at the other, or rounded at both corners. Similarly, the cuspids or eye teeth (third tooth back) could be pointed, rounded or flat. Combining these different shapes each produces a uniquely different smile style. Please note, this smile library below is only to choose the basic shape of the front six teeth, and in no way reflect the color, length, surface texture or translucency that the porcelain veneers or crowns will have. Those other things are addressed in other aspects of smile design and choosing the best combination for your “sensational new smile”.

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For most females, the “Enhanced” smile style is one of our most popular designs. Note that the second teeth from the center are a little shorter than the front teeth. This is a youthful effect we call “the gull wing” that really looks nice on females. The “Hollywood” style above is a little more “toothy” and works well for males and especially those wanting to show off a little more teeth. The “Oval” style might look best on someone with a very round face. Notice how very round the edges of the four front teeth are? The “Aggressive” style has tooth edges that are flat almost straight across. We use it mostly for men and it simulates someone who might be a bit older and have a habit of grinding his teeth. The “Youthful” style simulates the shape of unworn teeth that might be seen in a 14 year old. Although many adults like this name because they think it might give them the illusion of being significantly younger, we almost always utilize this design in much younger individuals. The “Mature” style has squarish edges on the four front teeth and is another design that we frequently use for men. The “Softened” style is a very popular design that we use for those wanting their smile to help make them appear a little younger than their years. It is my preference to use smile designs that have the cuspids (also called canines, the third teeth back on each side) that are slightly round, not flat (too old looking) or pointed (too aggressive looking). It is important that both the patient and cosmetic dentist actively discuss the different smile styles at the beginning of the smile makeover process. Using our technique called “the trial smile” we’re able to make provisional veneers or crowns so that our patient can “test drive” their new smile prior to making any final decision regarding the smile design for their final porcelain veneers or porcelain crowns.

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

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posted by Dr. Norman Huefner at 9:11 AM

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