Cosmetic Periodontal Surgery
Cosmetic Periodontal Surgery
Gummy smiles, receding gums, or uneven gum margins may have negative impacts on the esthetics of an individual’s smile. Cosmetic periodontal surgery can help individual suffering from these conditions to have more attractive smiles.
Gummy smile, known as excessive gingival display, is a condition in which too much gum tissues or too little teeth are showing upon smile. Gummy smile is often of hereditary origin. Depending on the cause(s) of gummy smiles (e.g. shape and size of teeth, bio-types of gum tissues, lips and jawbone), gummy smiles can be treated with esthetic crown lengthening procedures, lip repositioning procedures, gingivectomies, or a combination of these procedures.
Receding gums can often be corrected with gum grafting procedures. This procedure involves harvesting a piece of soft tissue usually from the roof of the mouth and transferring this tissue to the receding area. This tissue will adhere to the receding area and blend in with the gums adjacent to it over a period of time. The roof of the mouth will grow back to its original thickness in 1-2 months depending on the thickness of the soft tissue that was harvested. Commercially available soft tissues derived from another individual can also be used to eliminate the need for harvesting a piece of tissue from the roof of the mouth.
Uneven gum margins can be corrected by a combination of gum grafting and esthetic crown lengthening procedures.
