Orange County Dental Makeover - Smile Design

Serving Irvine, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel, Santa Margarita, and Surrounding Areas

SMILE DESIGN – choosing the best combination of teeth shapes for your face and personality.

There are approximately 25 different shades (colors), three different surface textures (how the light reflects off of the front of the veneers), several different porcelain types which each has different translucencies (ability of the light to pass through the veneer to render a “life-like” appearance), several different lengths that each veneer/tooth can be made and at least 60 different documented smile styles. Doing the math, there are at least 30,000 different ways that a cosmetic dentist could create your new smile. This can be pretty confusing. So how do you know you’re getting the best combination for your face and smile?

Mrs. U.S.-Globe Jill Frick and her “Enhanced” smile style with ten porcelain veneers by Dr. Huefner.

The short answer is for you and Dr. Huefner to communicate on a very high level so that your expectations can be met. He wants your input because he certainly wants you to love your new smile. Success is dependent on his skill, care and judgment, but also on his and your ability to communicate and work together on deciding key issues.

In choosing your new smile style, Dr. Huefner will involve you in this selection process. He will also offer his input and suggestions to help guide you in your selection based on the shape of the face, age, personality type and other factors. There are three commonly used “smile guides” that Dr. Huefner has available to show his patients. Dr. William Dickerson’s “LVI Smile Library” (12 different styles), Dr. Loren Berland’s “Loren Library” (18 different styles) and Dr. William Dorfman’s “The Smile Guide” (36 different styles).

There are different acceptable variations in shape that each porcelain veneer or crown can be made. 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 significantly different smile styles. Look at these two smile libraries, not for color or texture, but for the design and outline shape that you like the best.