Surgical & Laser

Today more and more patients are asking that their smiles be as attractive as possible. However, even with new crowns or veneers, if the gum level is irregular, or if roots are exposed, the appearance will never be satisfactory. Newer cosmetic periodontal surgery is solving many of these problems, both with and without the use of crowns and veneers.

Correcting the Gummy Smile

The gummy smile makes the teeth look short and not in proportion with the patient's face. By sculpting the gum to make the teeth appear more natural, the smile can be greatly enhanced.

Gummy smile results in short teeth with irregular gum margins			After tissue sculpting and veneers, a beautiful smile with teeth the proper size for the patient's face
Overgrowth of gum tissue during orthodontics			Tissue surgically trimmed to normal contour
Healed tissue with a pleasing appearance

Root Coverage

When there is gum recession, the root of the tooth often shows and is unsightly. Gum grafting is needed to restore health (See Gum Recession), but root coverage may also be desired to improve appearance. This is generally accomplished with a connective tissue graft, which provides new attached gingiva while covering the root surface.

Recession of canine gum producing a "fang-like" appearance			Complete root coverage with normal gum contour
Front tooth with unsightly root exposed			Improved cosmetics after root coverage
Root coverage of upper premolars, left and right
Unsightly anterior recession
Recession corrected with root coverage procedure
Full View

Irregular Gum Levels

See Crown Lengthening to Improve Appearance of Irregular Gum Levels.

Ridge Augmentation

When teeth are extracted, the bone often resorbs during healing and leaves an indentation in the gum. When a bridge is placed, this concavity prevents the artificial tooth from looking real - it looks like it is just lying on the gum. By repairing the ridge defect with a ridge augmentation, the artificial tooth now looks like it is growing out of the gum, and cannot be distinguished from the natural teeth.

The best way to treat a ridge deficiency is to prevent it from occurring. The amount of bone loss from an extraction can be minimized by performing a ridge augmentation at the time of extraction.

Severe ridge defect after extraction		Ridge augmented to return normal shape
Deficient ridge making artificial tooth look unnatural		Ridge augmented and expanded so artificial tooth appears to emerge from gum