Cosmetic Dentistry Orange County | Huefner Sensational Smiles Blog

Cosmetic dentists strive for patient satisfaction, especially when doing a smile makeover for their patient with porcelain veneers. One challenge is the ability of the dentist and patient to actively and effectively communicating between each other. Oftentimes it is hard for the patient and dentist to verbally describe the smile they have in mind. But, as we’ve all heard a million times, A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS! That is where the “trial smile” comes in.
Let’s use my patient John here as an example. Here is the teeth and smile he presented with at his first appointment. It’s obvious that his teeth were crowded and misaligned and with these teeth he isn’t showing his best face to the world.

I knew what I had in mind with regard to the smile I want to make for him, but what is the best way to communicate it to him? The answer is that I create a “trial smile” for John. I prepare his teeth for the “trial smile”, but first make him temporary veneers in the size, shape, color and arrangement that I think will make him happy and look his best. Here is his John with his “trial smile”.

After wearing the “trial smile” for a few days, or as long as it takes to make up his mind, John returns for our final decision. If there is something he is concerned about, he can point to it or look at the photo on the computer monitor and tell me what he likes or dislikes (color, shape, length or position of the veneer/teeth). Then I make the appropriate adjustments or corrections. Then after that’s done and we’re all in agreement I take photos, models and measurements of “his approved trial smile”, which go to my ceramist as an accurate blue print for the design of John’s final porcelain veneers.

The photo above is John’s new smile with his final porcelain veneers. What a difference compared to the smile he had just a few weeks previously. The “trial smile” is a very important tool which many cosmetic dentists use to eliminate a lot of the “guess work” with regard to porcelain veneers and smile enhancement procedures. That, along with very clear communication, are some of the very most important elements we use to insure successful treatment and patient satisfaction.

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

Labels: instant orthodontics, laguna niguel, lake forest, porcelain crowns, porcelain veneers, teeth whitening

Your teeth and smile are a huge part of your face and smile and the way the world sees you. having an unattractive smile always really bothered Barbara. She showed too much of her gums, which were very uneven. Her teeth were spaced, crooked, discolored and she didn't like the actual shape of the teeth.

BEFORE

What could be easily be done? Well, we suggested she have two things done immediately. Reshape her uneven gums with the dental gum laser and then whiten her teeth. This is the way her smile looked two weeks later after doing those two things.

AFTER LASER GUM RESHAPING AND TEETH BLEACHING

Barbara was pleased, but then decided she really wanted a nicer smile. What else could be done? Dr. Huefner recommended porcelain veneers. He could give her the color she always really wanted (much whiter), fill the spaces, give her normal shaped teeth of the appropriate length to follow the smile line of her lower lip. Here is how her new smile looked the following month after Dr. Huefner finished the smile makeover for Barbara with porcelain veneers.

AFTER PORCELAIN VENEERS

Barbara looked terrific with her new smile. Amazing how cosmetic dentistry and porcelain veneers can greatly improve someone's appearance so much and so quickly.

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

Labels: cosmetic dentist, gummy smile, irvine, laser gum reshaping, mission viejo, orange county, porcelain veneers, teeth whitening

Very concerned that her teeth were too yellow and small, Courtney was considering cosmetic dentistry to have a much nicer smile. Dr. Huefner designed a smile for her with porcelain veneers. Along with Dr. Huefner, Courtney also chose to have slightly longer teeth that followed her “smile line” (i.e. lower lip line) and whiter color for her new porcelain veneers.

What Courtney really liked about the porcelain veneers that Dr. Huefner did for her was that they looked so natural and “real” and that they don’t stain or discolor over the years.

Earlier this year Dr. Huefner did a smile makeover with porcelain veneers for beautiful Courtney and these are the portraits that he took of her in his "smile design and portrait studio" in his dental office. As you can clearly see she now has a “very sensational” new smile. Look in the current issue of Orange Coast Magazine for Courtney’s photo in black.

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

Labels: cosmetic dentist, lake forest, porcelain veneers, san clemente, teeth whitening

BEFORE

The big questions he asked us was “would we have to pull any of his bottom teeth?” and “would he need braces?” The answer to both questions was “No!”, which was an answer that thrilled him. Here is the result was got for John with porcelain veneers on his lower teeth, and porcelain veneers and a bridge on his upper teeth.

AFTER

Note that no lower teeth were removed. The crowding, color and shape of his lower teeth was corrected with some simple gum recontouring with laser and ten porcelain veneers, which we sometimes call "instant orthodontics". Since his teeth had worn and shortened over the years, we also made his upper teeth a little longer, resulting in a smile that made him look younger.
As you can clearly imagine, he was extremely pleased with the results that we achieved for him and now he beams a great smile everywhere he goes!

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

Labels: cosmetic dentist, irvine, laguna niguel, porcelain bridge, porcelain veneers, teeth whitening

Nobody would ever think that "blackish" teeth like Tina had gave her an attractive smile, especially Tina! She was born in an area of the country that had a very high mineral content in the water, and so as her teeth formed and came in they were the color you see here below.

BEFORE

A beautiful smile is what she wanted and she wanted her teeth "WHITE"! Actually, she wanted them whiter than most people would, but our goal was to give her the smile that she had always dreamed of having. We suggested porcelain veneers on her upper teeth and teeth whitening (bleaching) on her lower teeth. She was thrilled to learn that she could have a new smile with porcelain veneers in just a few appointments. Here is a photo of the results we achieved for Tina.

AFTER

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

Labels: lake forest, orange county cosmetic dentist, porcelain veneers, santa margarita, teeth whitening

Stephanie has crooked, discolored teeth and desperately wanted a nice smile. She didn't like the space between her front two teeth, and the "worn look".

BEFORE

She wanted a younger, more attractive smile and definitely wanted her teeth whiter. We recommended porcelain veneers. Here is the incredible result we got for Stephanie!

AFTER

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

Labels: aliso viejo, orange county cosmetic dentist, porcelain veneers, san clemente, smile makeover, teeth whitening

BEFORE

You'll note from the photo that she shows 12 teeth. Because of this, and the fact that she wanted whiter teeth, we recommended that she do 7 porcelain veneers and replace the three old porcelain crowns with whiter all-porcelain crowns. However, Cheryl decided only to do the 7 porcelain veneers. This is the beautiful result we achieved for her.

AFTER

This was an incredible improvement in Cheryl's smile, but you'll note that there are still three back/side teeth that are yellow and don't truly match the whiter color porcelain veneers that Cheryl chose. How much nicer Cheryl's smile would have been by doing all ten teeth in the same color porcelain, rather than just doing the seven teeth.

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

Labels: irvine, mission viejo, orange county cosmetic dentist, 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