Cosmetic Dentistry Orange County | Huefner Sensational Smiles Blog

The length of the teeth, especially your front two teeth, is an extremely important part of how the world sees your smile. If your teeth are too short, it may make you look older than your years and take a lot away from the power of your smile. If the teeth are too long, because the gums have possibly receded over the years, then the smile can be unattractive or even distracting. The length of the front teeth needs to be “just right” for a great smile. So, when cosmetic dentists create a new smile for their patients, with porcelain veneers, bonding or all-ceramic crowns, what are the criteria that they use?The first test I use is to check my patient when they relax their mouth and face muscles, with the mouth slightly open and separating the back teeth so they aren’t touching together. The upper lip has to be totally relaxed. In general I would like to see 1-2mm (about 1/8”) of the front teeth showing. If I don’t see any teeth showing, the front teeth may be too short. If I see more than that, there may be a short upper lip or a large overbite and long teeth that I have to take into consideration.

The left photo shows teeth that are probably too short and the one on the right is of unworn teeth, which is more youthful and attractive. The next test is having the patient give a full smile. How much of the upper front teeth do I see then? If all of the front teeth show, then the next thing I want to see that the tooth is longer than it is wide (rectangular). If the front tooth is as wide as it is long (square), it may be considered too short and/or aged. If it is wider than it is long, the teeth would definitely be considered too short and very aged! The most common reason for short teeth is from wearing away from a grinding habit, which is more pronounced with older individuals.

The left photo shows teeth that are too long for the smile. The next photo shows worn teeth that are now square. The third photo demonstrates severely shortened and worn teeth. The last photo shows teeth that are normal in shape and length for this patient’s smile.There was a study done once where the public was shown various people smiling and could observe the full length of the front teeth. Almost universally they thought that the most beautiful smiles had front teeth that were 1.29 times longer than they were wide (in dental terms a 78% width-length ratio). Thus, a great starting point for a dentist is to measure the width of the tooth, do the math, and then establish the ideal visual length for the front two teeth. (By the way, one test you can use on that might give you an idea as to how well trained your dentist is with cosmetic dentistry would be to ask “What is the ideal proportion of the length of the upper front two teeth?” Answers of 78% (ideal), 75-80% (acceptable range) or 1.29 times longer than wide are answers that probably indicate that the dentist has studied the finer points of cosmetic dentistry.)This length can be tested to see how the patient likes the length before any treatment is even started. Without needing any numbing medicine or doing any drilling, filling material can be added temporarily onto the short front teeth. Then the patient and dentist can evaluate the length for optimum esthetics when the patient has a relaxed mouth or a big smile. There is another criteria that cosmetic dentists like and that is for the edges of the eight upper front teeth to follow the contour of the lower lip when smiling. Cosmetic dentists call this “following the smile line” .

This photo demonstrates a nice smile that follows the “smile line” and teeth are attractive and normal in length for this patients smile. It should be obvious that this is a post-treatment photo of a lady with 8 porcelain veneers. The last test that we use is to verify the esthetically determined teeth length with phonetics or “speech function”. If the teeth are too long then they will hit the lower lip to much and affect the ability to produce the “f” and "v" sounds. If the patient says the word “fifty-five” or "victory" cosmetic dentists like to see the upper teeth to gently touch the lower lip. If the front teeth hit too hard and the teeth are too long, making a proper the “f” and "v" sounds will be difficult.

But more important than all of these cosmetic dentistry criteria is that the patient likes his or her new smile with porcelain veneers and can comfortably and appropriately speak. Establishing the length of the new veneers should be a joint decision between the cosmetic dentist and the patient.

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

Labels: c, cosmetic dentist, irvine, mission viejo, orange county cosmetic dentist, porcelain veneers, san juan capistrano

For some people who have misshaped, discolored or otherwise misaligned teeth, smiling can be embarrassing. Absolutely hating and embarrassed with her crooked teeth, Diane wanted to know what could be done for her with cosmetic dentistry. Not only were her teeth crooked, spaced at the gumline and discolored, but worst of all, her one front tooth was turned and stuck out. Not a pretty smile that she could be proud of.

BEFORE
What could Diane do? Did she need braces? The answer more than thrilled Diane, she could have a new smile, a sensational smile, in three weeks and two dental visits with porcelain veneer cosmetic dental treatment.
AFTER

Above is the gorgeous results that we got for Diane. She asked that her teeth be whiter, but have a natural look. She also wanted her porcelain veneers to last as long as possible, hopefully the rest of her life. So, we utilized a semi-translucent Empress porcelain, one that really looks natural and is extremely strong and durable. Many cosmetic dentists believe that Empress porcelain is one of the very strongest porcelains available for porcelain veneers.

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

Labels: cosmetic dentist, laguna niguel, porcelain crowns, porcelain veneers, san clemente, san juan capistrano

Most people today still think that crooked or spaced teeth can only be treated with braces (orthodontics), however in certain circumstances not only is treatment with porcelain veneers and cosmetic dentistry the fastest way to get a new smile, but in many cases it will give the best looking results. Unfortunately, braces just straightens the alignment of teeth, but does nothing to correct the shape, color or length of the teeth. If your teeth are chipped, worn, misshaped, discolored or otherwise not doing their best to give you a nice smile, then consider "instant orthodontics" with cosmetic dentistry. (Note it really isn't orthodontics, but just the illusion of getting straight teeth. The actual teeth underneath the porcelain veneers, bonding, porcelain crowning, or other cosmetic dentistry isn't changed or moved at all.)

BEFORE
Above are two photos of a perfect example of a situation that, in my opinion, is better treated with cosmetic dentistry and porcelain veneers. Note that the teeth are crooked, but also there is spacing. A couple significant advantages of cosmetic dentistry over orthodontics is no two years of braces, several years more of retainer wear and the constant worry of the spacing opening back up when the braces are removed.


AFTER
In the photos above, note the incredibly natural result we achieved with four porcelain veneers and just a couple dental visits. We even created even gums with laser, something not achievable with orthodontics. These veneers were designed with masculine shaped teeth, different in shape and length than we would have done for a female.

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

Labels: laguna beach, orange county cosmetic dentist, porcelain veneers, san clemente, san juan capistrano

Madeline hated the huge space between her front two teeth, which she called "the gap". She wanted "the gap" closed, be was concerned that by making just her two front teeth wider, that they would look too wide and unnatural.

BEFORE

She was right. Dr. Huefner suggested that rather than take a "two teeth" approach, that Madeline consider her whole smile. What did she really want for a smile? What color teeth did she want? How long or short did she want them? What shape of teeth did she want? At what position in her mouth? After carefully evaluating all the things about her teeth Madeline also thought that they were too short, having worn down over the years. She decided that she wanted all her teeth whiter, a bit longer (like they were when she was a young lady), and better proportioned.
After hearing what she really wanted, Dr. Huefner suggested that she consider porcelain veneers on her eight upper front teeth. Madeline decided to follow Dr. Huefner's suggested treatment plan and this is the result that was achieved in about a month's time and five visits over the course of five weeks (treatment planning visit, veneer preparation visit, appointment to finalize smile design and color, visit to place the final porcelain veneers and one post treatment check appointment).

AFTER PORCELAIN VENEERS

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

Labels: cosmetic dentist, irvine, mission viejo, orange county cosmetic dentist, porcelain veneers, san juan capistrano

Jeff is a very active man and the appearance of his teeth never seemed "just right" to him. Could cosmetic dentistry help him?
Most people understand that their appearance, which includes their smile and the way their teeth look are important. Unfortunately, people are judged, and many times relationships are determined by appearance. Jeff understood all this. He came into our office to discuss his options with cosmetic dentistry. He felt strongly that his two front teeth were too big and his other teeth too small. He didn’t like the color of his teeth either. What could he do to get a younger, more attractive smile that didn’t look “too pretty” and still was masculine?

BEFORE

Porcelain veneers was the treatment of choice to solve Jeff’s problems. Braces weren’t an option, as that wouldn’t change the shape or color of the teeth. Capping the teeth would be too aggressive a treatment considering his situation. Whitening he teeth alone wouldn’t give him the smile that he wanted. But porcelain veneers would allow us to accomplish all the things he wanted.

Here is Jeff’s new smile with porcelain veneers after just three visits! Notice how much more attractive it is and all the teeth are whiter than before and more evenly proportioned with regard to size, shape and position.

AFTER

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

Labels: cosmetic dentist, orange county cosmetic dentist, porcelain veneers, san clemente, san juan capistrano

Your smile is important, whether your a male or female, businessperson, professional person, or any job or profession. Steven realized this.

He is a rugged guy, but as a very successful businessman he was getting embarrassed with the appearance of his smile. Everything else was in order, he dressed well, is in great physical shape (goes to the gym four times a week) and is a good public speaker. It was time to get his smile in shape. What could we do to correct his “smile problems”?

The solution to Steven’s unattractive teeth and smile was to place porcelain veneers on his upper and lower teeth, and a porcelain bridge to replace a missing tooth. He also wanted “whiter teeth”, and he chose a color in the bleaching shade range. Since he was very masculine we used a more squarish shaped teeth for his incisors, which was in harmony with his personality.

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

Labels: cosmetic dentist, irvine, orange county cosmetic dentist, porcelain veneers, san juan capistrano, santa margarita

It is awful when someone hates their teeth and smile. When Jan came to us the first thing she said was, “I hate my two big caps and the darkness at the gumline”. It was obvious that she really wanted cosmetic dentistry. Then she asked, “Is there anything you can do to correct this so I can finally have a nice smile?”

Yes, unfortunately as you can see from the photo below that Jan had a number of dental issues. Her front two caps were too big and after having root canals by her previous dentist, the teeth underneath had turned black. Also, she showed way too much of her gums and her other teeth were disproportionately small. She is single professional person, and she also wanted “whiter teeth“. What could we do to fix her smile?

BEFORE

First, we recommended reshaping her gums with the dental gum laser so that her smaller teeth would appear longer and there wouldn’t be so much of her gums showing when she smiles. Then we removed the old caps and whitened the black teeth underneath with “composite masking” (putting tooth colored filling over the black tooth). Then we replaced her old porcelain-on-metal caps with all-porcelain caps and placed porcelain veneers on her other teeth. Doing porcelain veneers was very important as it allowed us to create a normal size and shape for all of her teeth that was proportionate to her mouth and smile. We finished by doing teeth whitening on her lower teeth.

Here is her new smile in the photo below just a few days after her new smile was created! Isn’t it an amazing improvement.

AFTER

One of the other things we accomplished was by doing porcelain veneers on her side teeth (bicuspids) we were able to widen her smile, as her original teeth tilted in way too much. All and all, it turned out to be an incredible improvement for Jan and her smile.

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

Labels: cosmetic dentist, gummy smile, irvine, orange county cosmetic dentist, porcelain veneers, san juan capistrano