Periodontal Plastic Therapy

All of us strive to look and feel our very best. A critical part of our overall appearance is our smile - it mirrors our personality, it is our own unique calling card. Your dentist has the ability to offer a wide range of services to enhance your teeth and beautify your smile. As specialists in Periodontics, we support your dentist in ensuring the health and stability of your teeth and smile. Often times, the gums may be a contributing factor to the overall appearance and health of your smile.

Periodontal plastic surgery, or mucogingival surgery, involves the management of gingival deficits and deformities that may prevent you from having the smile you always wanted. Among these are:

 

Please click on the thumbnail at left to see a graphical   representation of some of these gingival deficits and deformities. 

Why should you be concerned?

The reasons you should be concerned regarding the presence of these conditions include not only cosmetic concerns, such as "long" teeth and "black holes" between teeth and bridges, but also dental health concerns, like progressive gingival irritation, root surface sensitivity, root caries, and in some cases, eventual tooth loss. Recent advances in techniques and materials have resulted in significant improvements in both comfort, predictability and esthetics.

Common Esthetic Problems

Below are just a few examples of some common esthetic problems and how they were corrected. 

Gummy Smile (Excessive Gingival Display)

This situation can occur due to a number of reasons: a short upper lip, excessive wear of the teeth due to grinding, vertical maxillary excess (a long upper jawbone), and/or altered passive eruption. 

Regardless of the cause, you do not have to live with a gummy smile. Let us work together with your dentist to determine the underlying cause and the proper treatment plan.

 Click on the thumbnail to see before and after esthetic crown lengthening.

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Gingival Recession

Gingival recession is the change of gum positioning showing part of a tooth's root causing sensitivity to cold, hot, sweets or acid. This is the result of a combination of factors like bad brushing technique, abrasive brushing, smoking, premature tooth contact or thin gums. The exposed root surface is much more susceptible to plaque accumulation and root caries (see photo to the right). In advanced cases, teeth can become loose because as the gum recedes, so does the supporting bone.

The treatment is done by using soft tissue grafts and/or the placing of some regenerative materials to repair the defect.

GINGIVAL RECESSION
Before		After

Soft Tissue Ridge Augmentation

Note the large hard and soft tissue defect (arrow) due to traumatic loss of the upper left first molar.

Dr.'s Aldredge and Nejat work together with your dentist to ensure not only the overall health of your teeth and the durability of your dental work, but also to enhance the overall appearance of your own personal calling card, your smile.

Remember we specialize in making smiles last! 

Call us today for an evaluation.

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