Cosmetic Enhancements
Sometimes people do not like their smile or the
way their teeth look. In some of these situations, it is actually
the position and/or contour of the gum that is the problem and not
the teeth. In other cases, the ideal tooth form cannot be delivered
by the dentist unless the gum is in proper health and relation to
the teeth. Below are some of the procedures performed by periodontists
that can improve a patient’s smile by restoring the proper
harmony and symmetry.
Connective tissue grafting/Root coverage.
One of the more common complaints that people
have is that they have had areas of recession (loss of gum) and
their root is showing. This makes the tooth longer and often there
is a yellowish colour to the exposed root.
A connective tissue graft can be done to return the gum line to
its natural position. Gum is taken from the roof of the mouth and
placed over the area of recession. The procedure is not very long
and the post - operative period is not very difficult. If there
has been a lot of recession and the amount of root showing is very
large, more than one graft may be required. Not all roots can be
covered, however, and it is important that each case be looked at
individually.
Smile Recontouring
According to many people, the ideal smile requires
that the shape of the teeth show symmetry, proper proportion and
harmony with the gum. Sometimes, though, this is not the case. Sometimes
people find that they show too much gum when they smile, their teeth
are too short or that the teeth on one side are higher than the
teeth on the other side. In these situations, the gum level of all
of the teeth are evaluated and the ideal gum levels are restored.
The procedure does not take long with a relatively easy post- operative
period. Often two procedures are required to do this and usually
crowns or veneers are necessary to be sure that the teeth have the
ideal shape.
Augmenting gum thickness
When teeth are removed, we lose the bone that
was holding them in place. We can also lose a lot of bone if there
was a large infection around the tooth that has been taken out.
When this happens, the gum can collapse. This can occur rapidly
or slowly over time. It becomes important because as we replace
the tooth with either a bridge or an implant, we want the tooth
to meet the gum line. This way there is no dark space and the tooth
looks like it is coming out of the gum as is the case with natural
teeth.
When the gum (or ridge) has collapsed, the only way to make the
tooth look like it is coming out of the gum is to make the tooth
look very long and this usually does not fit in with the form of
the other teeth. These situations can be repaired by a procedure
called ridge augmentation.
During ridge augmentation, a gum graft is placed under the gum.
This can improve the gumline to make the ridge higher which will
allow your dentist to make a tooth that fits in better with those
around it. This type of gum graft can also be used to thicken the
area. When a tooth is present, you can see a thickening in the gum
from the root that holds the tooth. When the tooth has been removed,
this slight bump tends to be missing. Ideal aesthetics sometimes
involves giving the impression that the root is present underneath
the gums and a connective tissue graft
can do this.
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