• Gummy Smile or uneven gum line
• Long teeth/exposed roots
• Indentations in the gums and jawbone
• Crown Lengthening
• Ridge Augmentation

What is Cosmetic (esthetics) Surgery?

Soft (gum) and Hard (bone) tissues contouring are some of the cosmetic procedures that are designed to correct unacceptable smiles and improving esthetics such as:

• Gummy smile or uneven gum line ? If your teeth look too short and your smile is too gummy or your gums cover too much of some teeth while leaving the others the right length, crown lengthening might be the solution. During this procedure, excess gum tissue is removed to expose more of the crown of the tooth. Your gum line is then sculpted.
  
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• Long teeth/exposed roots ? In some cases, receding gums cause the tooth root to become exposed, which makes your teeth look long and unsightly. Periodontal disease is sometimes the culprit behind long teeth and exposed roots. Soft tissue grafts and other root coverage procedures are designed to cover exposed roots, to reduce further gum recession and to protect vulnerable roots from decay.
  
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• Indentations in the gums and jawbone -- Tooth loss can cause an indentation in the gums and jawbone where the tooth used to be. This happens because the jawbone recedes when it no longer is holding a tooth in place. Not only is this indention unnatural looking, it also causes the replacement tooth to look too long compared to the adjacent teeth. Ridge augmentation can fill in this defect recapturing the natural contour of the gums and jaw.
  
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• Crown Lengthening-- Also, if you have a "gummy" smile or an uneven gum line, CROWN LENGTHENING can make your teeth look longer and more even. When getting a Crown, the General Dentist must prepare your tooth to receive the Crown. Sometimes there is not enough tooth surface above the gumline to accomplish this. A Periodontist can do CROWN LENGTHENING to provide more tooth surface. This ensures a more stable Crown with less gum irritation.
  
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• Ridge Augmentation -- If a loss of contour has already occurred, most likely after a tooth has been extracted (removed), a hard and / or soft tissue procedure can be done to rebuild the jaw bone, or a soft tissue ridge augmentation can be done to rebuild the contour and appearance of the gum. A hard tissue augmentation creates the bone necessary to support a dental implants, and both hard and soft tissue procedures create a natural looking soft tissue contour where teeth are missing.
  
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