Cosmetic Periodontal Surgery

About Cosmetic Surgery

There are a number of procedures we can perform to improve the aesthetics of your face and smile. These include:

Soft tissue gum grafting

Gum recession is a result of gum tissue and bone loss leading to exposed tooth roots. We will use gum tissue from the roof of your mouth or another donor source. Soft tissue grafting surgery will repair the defect and will also help to prevent additional gum recession and bone loss. Further benefits will be reduction of tooth sensitivity, improvement of aesthetics and function and a more stable periodontal health.

Crown lengthening

In some cases, periodontal procedures help lay the groundwork for restorative and cosmetic dentistry and/or improve the esthetics of your gum line. If you have a “gummy” smile because your teeth appear short, it is possible that your teeth may be the right length, but are covered by excessive gum tissue. Aesthetic crown lengthening corrects this condition.This can be done to one tooth, to even your gum line, or to several teeth to expose a natural, broad smile.

Functional crown lengthening often makes a restorative or cosmetic dental procedure possible. This is especially true if you have a tooth that is decayed, broken below the gum line, or has insufficient tooth structure for a restoration, such as a crown or bridge. Crown lengthening adjusts the gum and bone level to expose more of the tooth so it can be restored.

Gummy smile or uneven gum line

If your teeth look too short and your smile is too gummy or your gums cover too much of some teeth while leaving the others the right length, crown lengthening might be the solution. During this procedure, excess gum tissue is removed to expose more of the crown of the tooth. Your gum line is then sculpted.

Frenectomy

A labial frenulum is a thin band of soft tissue that connects from the lips or cheeks to the outer gum tissue. A lingual frenulum connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth. When these bands are too short one can experience being “tongue tied”  or “lip tied”. These short lingual frenula can be the cause of speech impairment and in children can also lead to developmental abnormalities. A short labial frenulum can also be the cause of gum recession on teeth.

A frenectomy can help to facilitate growth development in children, prevention of gum recession and can also facilitate orthodontic therapy in certain situations.