There are three parts to a smile, the teeth, the lips and the gums. Usually "too much of a gummy show" is considered unattractive and most people who show "too much of their gums" are a little self conscious about it.

Jenny was one of these people and hated her excessively gummy smile. She was desperate for some way to reduce the amount of gums she showed, and make her teeth appear larger.
BEFORE
Actually Jenny had more than just an over gummy smile, she had a short upper lip and long upper jaw bone (excess vertical maxillary height). We discussed that ideal treatment for her was to see an orthodontist and a maxillofacial surgeon. However, like many people, Jenny said that she would never consider having braces or jaw surgery. Was there anything at all that I could do to help her?

My answer is that I could use a very safe, effective and relatively non-invasive technique called “laser gum recontouring”. She understood that by doing this I couldn’t fix her other problems, but that I could reduce the amount of her gums that she showed when she smiled, and by doing this that her teeth would then look longer and more normal in length. The procedure with laser took less than half an hour, required a little local anesthetic, had no bleeding and very little post treatment discomfort. Look at this photo below, which is her post operative photo taken just TWO DAYS LATER!
TWO DAYS AFTER LASER GUM RECONTOURING
Needless to say, Jenny was ecstatic with the improvement. Note how she shows considerably less of her upper gums and how much longer and more normal her upper teeth now appear.

For many people with "excessive gums", short appearing teeth and not willing to go through extensive surgery or treatment, laser gum recontouring ("gum lifts") are a great conservative way to get an almost immediate improvement in the way the smile appears!

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

Gerald is a very shy, kind and soft-spoken man. He was at a point in his life that he realized that it was time for some self-improvement and his teeth and smile were some of the things that were holding him back. He was changing careers and dating and realized that he had to get his smile in shape. A year ago Dr. Huefner had done a smile makeover for one of Gerald’s friends, and Gerald wanted to consult with Dr. Huefner to see if he was a candidate for cosmetic dentistry and porcelain veneers.

BEFORE COSMETIC DENTISTRY: Gerald knew it was time that he did something about the appearance of his teeth and smile.

At his cosmetic dentistry consultation Dr. Huefner asked Gerald what he wanted to change about his smile. His answer was that he wanted a great smile, and would leave it to Dr. Huefner to create the best smile possible for him. Usually patient’s aren’t as trusting as Gerald and want more input into the design of the porcelain veneers.

One of the things that Dr. Huefner had to find out from Gerald was "how white" did he want his teeth? After all, his teeth were very dark and Dr. Huefner wanted to make sure that Gerald would feel comfortable having his teeth made several shades whiter. Again, Gerald said he would leave it up to Dr. Huefner.

Dr. Huefner said he appreciated Gerald’s confidence, but he had to make sure that Gerald approved of the color before doing his cosmetic dentistry. The solution to this was for Dr. Huefner to create temporary veneers of Gerald in the size, length, shape and color that Dr. Huefner thought would look best. Then Dr. Huefner would place the temporary veneers, or "trial smile", on Gerald’s teeth and let him "test drive" the new smile before fabricating the permanent porcelain veneers for him. This was done and Gerald loved the design created for him and the permanent porcelain veneers were then crafted by Dr. Huefner’s master ceramist Dave Stohlman.

AFTER: Gerald’s new smile with porcelain veneers by Dr. Huefner

As you might imagine, Gerald was absolutely thrilled with his smile makeover with porcelain veneers. Not only did he look healthier and more professional, but people also commented that he looked 10 years younger!

Gerald looked ten years younger with his new smile makeover by Dr. Huefner.

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

Your teeth and smile are important to your image.  Many might say that it even sends a message to the whole world about you…about your health, about how you take care of yourself, how old you appear (now how old you are), about how good you look, etc. When you really think about it, your smile is about a third of what you see of your face, so to many that is very important.

Wendy’s teeth were very discolored, especially her front tooth. She’s a professional person and knows how important to appear her best in business and in the public.

  BEFORE cosmetic dentistry

After discussing her personal situation, Dr. Huefner suggested porcelain veneers to Wendy, along with a special cosmetic dental procedure to disguise the dark root under the dark front tooth. Wendy decided it was time to improve her smile and have the cosmetic dentistry that Dr. Huefner recommended. Here are two photos of Wendy and the sensational new smile that was achieved for her with porcelain veneers by Dr. Huefner.

AFTER porcelain veneers by Dr. Huefner

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

Extremely yellow teeth can be detrimental to one’s self confidence!

Paul was very frustrated at how discolored his teeth were and how “old” it made his smile look. He had tried bleaching, but his teeth were just too discolored for bleaching to give him the whiter, brighter smile than he had always wanted. Also, his teeth were crooked and he had a number of the mercury-amalgam fillings done in his youth on his side and back teeth. Not only did those discolor his teeth almost blackish, but they were weakening his teeth and they were starting to crack and break. It was time to replace the old dentistry and get a smile that he would be proud of.

Before cosmetic dentistry, Paul had extremely yellow teeth.

Dr. Huefner recommended porcelain veneers for Paul, as not only could his teeth be made a lot whiter (as he had always wanted them to be), but they would be straight and even. Also, the porcelain veneers on the side teeth could be made so at the same time they would replace the mercury amalgam fillings giving him two benefits….better looking teeth and also stronger.

Paul’s new smile with porcelain veneers by Dr. Huefner

Paul was thrilled with the outstanding result he got with cosmetic dentistry and porcelain veneers. And the fact this his entire treatment, beginning to end. was done in just three weeks.

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

Becky had a fall, landed on her face and broke off her upper front tooth.  She was devastated and in tears.  The thought of having to have a removable partial denture, non-removable porcelain bridge or dental implant was more than she could handle.

Becky with broken off upper front tooth

She came to Dr. Huefner, wanting her front tooth and smile fixed as soon as possible.  After all, how could she go out in public looking like she did?

Dr. Huefner discussed the different ways that she could be treated.  An implant or non-removable porcelain bridge were the most predictable choices for lasting long term results.  But Becky asked, “Is there any way in the world you can fix my tooth without doing either of those?”

The answer was “yes”.  Dr. Huefner said that he could build up the remaining tooth and place a new crown over it.  It would not be quite as strong as the other two choices, but could be done almost immediately without involving any surgery or doing any restorations to the two adjacent teeth.  She had to realize that if he did that her front tooth was still a weak tooth and she had to be very careful for it to last for a long time.

Becky with her broken front tooth fixed with a new porcelain crown

As you might imagine, Becky was trilled with the results and that Dr. Huefner was able to restore her smile without resorting to dental implant or permanent bridge onto the two adjacent teeth.

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

"Fang teeth" and very gummy smile is what Monica had and she hated it!

BEFORE

Her teeth were so crowded that we recommended orthodontics was the best treatment, but she said "No way! I never would go through braces."

She then asked me, "Is there any other way you can help me with cosmetic dentistry?"

Fortunately for her, the answer was "Yes." We gave her the option of laser gum recontouring (reshaping) to correct her "very gummy smile". After that was healed, we could give her straight teeth by placing porcelain veneers, a procedure we oftentimes call "instant orthodontics".
Below is a photo just three days after reshaping away her excess gums with the dental gum laser.

THREE DAYS AFTER LASER GUM RECONTOURING

We recommended 8 or 10 porcelain veneers for Monica, but she could only afford to do the six front teeth at this time.
Here is the amazing photo of Monica with her new smile with six porcelain veneers. Notice….no more fang-teeth!

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

Dean didn’t like his smile.  A very motivated and social young man, he avoided smiling in photos.  Looking ahead her realized that people are judged by their appearance, and wanting to get promoted in his career he thought he should start looking at ways to improve his smile.

Dean’s smile before laser gum reshaping (gum lift)

When asked about what he didn’t like about his teen and smile Dean replied, “Everything….I don’t like the color, the shape, the spaces between the teeth.  But most of all I don’t like my gums being uneven!”

Fortunately for Dean, evening out gums with the dental gum laser is one of the easiest and least invasive procedure in cosmetic dentistry.  With just a local anesthetic the gums are reshaped and healing almost always is completed within a few days.

When told about this procedure, Dean was excited.  “Can we do it today?”, he asked.

A little local anesthetic and a half hour later, Dean’s gums were evened out.

Dean after minor laser gum recontouring (gum lift)

After the gum lift had healed, about 5 days in Dean’s case, he started teeth bleaching (whitening).  Ultimately he is considering having porcelain veneers placed on his front teeth to fill the spaces.  But Dean said he may have to wait a while to have that done.

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

Dingy, discolored teeth can ruin anyone’s smile.  It a fact, the darker the teeth are, the more unattractive the smile is.  Cindy was one of those people who had that problem.  Not only were her teeth discolored, but each tooth had a different color.  Also, one of her front teeth had been “capped”, and it was shorter than her natural tooth and didn’t match the color of any of her teeth!

Cindy was ready for a “smile enhancement”, and came to Dr. Huefner to see what her options were.  The first thing that Dr. Huefner had to determine is what were her goals?  How white did she want her teeth.  Did she want the very best smile that Dr. Huefner could do, or just some simple procedures like bleaching and replacing the front cap that she hated? 

Cindy’s unattractive smile before cosmetic dentistry

After much discussion and evaluation, Dr. Huefner and Cindy together decided that replacing the front cap was absolutely necessary, but also placing porcelain veneers on Cindy’s other front and side teeth would give her the amazing smile that she had always wanted.

Also, Cindy had concerns about how “gummy” her smile was.  Could Dr. Huefner do anything about that?  Fortunately for Cindy, cosmetic dentists can often do a relatively simple procedure with the dental gum laser, called a “gum lift” to reduce the amount of gums that she showed.

Cindy’s cosmetic dental treatment with the “gum lift”, porcelain veneers and replacing the one porcelain crown took less than a months time.

Cindy’s new smile with a “gum lift”, porcelain veneers and one porcelain crown by Dr. Huefner

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

Tierra was the reigning Ms. Nevada and came to Dr. Huefner for cosmetic dental treatment, specifically porcelain laminate veneers.  Although a young lady, her teeth had worn down considerably, making her smile look years older and certainly not helping her look her very best.

  Tierra’s short, chipped teeth before porcelain laminate veneers by Dr. Huefner

Dr. Huefner placed porcelain laminate veneers over Tierra’s front eight teeth, making the longer, straighter, whiter and much more attractive.

  Tierra’s new smile with porcelain laminate veneers by Dr. Huefner

Tierra looked stunning at the Ms. U.S.-Globe pageant and her smile looked fantastic.

  Tierra with Dr. Huefner

  Tierra also made the pageant finals.

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

Barbara was very self conscious about her teeth and smile.  A beautiful young woman, she would often avoid smiling in photos.  She became very aware that her less-than-great smile was effecting her socially, especially with men that she was interested in dating.  Barbara was also in the business world and in sales.  She was acutely aware that she didn’t look her best in public because of the issues with her smile.

   Barbara was very self conscious about the appearance of her teeth and smile.

She came to Dr. Huefner to find out what options were available to her?  Did she need braces?  Gum surgery?  Bleaching?  Caps?  What would it take to give her a great smile?

After listening to Barbara’s concerns, Dr. Huefner did a cosmetic analysis of all the features of her smile.  First, she was right.  She did have a gummy smile.  Not only did she show too much of her gums, but they were also uneven.  Also, her teeth were small and rounded, with spacing in between.  Did she want to change the shape of her teeth too?

Barbara said that for the time being, she would be happy with less gums showing and whiter teeth.  Dr. Huefner agreed that would be the best place to start.  So, he first did a gum lift.  Using a dental gum laser, he reshaped her gums.  Then he bleached her teeth to make them whiter.  The result was a huge improvement, even gums and whiter teeth!

   After a “gum lift” with the dental gum laser and teeth whitening, Barbara’s smile was much improved.

Barbara was very pleased with the results, but a few months passed and Barbara returned to Dr. Huefner to discuss any other options available to her to make smile even more attractive.  Dr. Huefner explained that the ideal way to take her smile to the next level would be with porcelain veneers.  He could make her teeth all even, whiter in color, better shaped by veneering her eight upper front teeth.  After seeing numerous before and after photos of other patients that Dr. Huefner had treated with porcelain veneers, Barbara was excited about getting a sensational new smile with porcelain veneers and was anxious to start treatment immediately.

    Barbara’s completed smile makeover with gum lift and porcelain veneers.

Dr. Huefner did eight porcelain veneers for Barbara and her treatment was completed in less than a month’s time.  As you might imagine, from examining her before and after photos, Barbara was absolutely thrilled with the results achieved for her.  Now she loves her smile!

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