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One of the Best Kept Secrets in Cosmetic Dentistry

January 9, 2013

If you've ever wondered what cosmetic feature you could change in your appearance that would have the biggest bang for your buck, it might just be a small procedure you've never heard of called gum contouring. Gum Contouring

Sometimes called "gum lifts" or "crown lengthening", gum contouring is done to reduce excessively gummy smiles or to even out an irregular, uneven gum line. It may be hard to believe, but by simply changing the amount of tooth exposed can dramatically improve the overall appearance of your smile.

While it may sound painful to have work performed on your gums and surrounding tissue, laser therapy coupled with local pain medication and optional sedation methodologies makes for a calm experience with immediate results, creating the appearance of more attractive and normal-shaped teeth.

Short and disproportionately small teeth are only an illusion.Gum re-contouring to expose all of the teeth needed to display for a full and beautiful smile. No changes or alterations to the teeth themselves has been done.

Gum Grafting

While most cosmetic gum contouring is reductive, meaning that gum tissue is taken away, some times gum tissue is added to improve the overall appearance and this is called gum grafting.

What proportion of gum to tooth is best? There technically are "golden rules" of 1 to 1.618 on average, but it's really more of an art and one that Dr. Reese enjoys doing. That's part of the reason he got into dentistry.

What causes receding gum lines? Age, over-brushing, and disease can all cause gums to recede. The term, "long in the tooth", means that a person is older because gums naturally recede over time, but disease and hard brushing can accelerate the process. Gum grafting is the only way to reverse it as gums do not grow back on their own.

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