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:

• Insufficient clinical crown length (also known as a "gummy smile")
- See an example case
• Uneven gum line due to "short" teeth or gum recession ("long" teeth)
• Lost or "collapsed" gums due to extracted or missing teeth
• "Black holes" between your teeth, crowns, bridges, or implants
• The exposure of unerupted teeth
• Tooth sensitivity due to gum recession

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.