Visit a Cosmetic Dentist to Improve the Health of Your Gums

As a cosmetic dentist, the vast majority of our time is spent improving the quality of a person's smile. To do this, we have focused most our attention on the aspects of dentistry that can improve your teeth, making them whiter, straighter, and less intrusive. The importance that looks play in today's society has made many of the functions we perform a household name. When you want your teeth to be brighter, you know about teeth whitening. When your child has crooked teeth, you come in and see us for braces. When grandma needs new dentures, a cosmetic dentist is your first call. There are a lot of functions that we perform on a daily basis, and these are what make up the bread and butter of cosmetic dentistry. There are a few other procedures that we do, which are not quite as widely known. The two we have described below are actually relatively common and have been conducted as a way to improve gum health. There is, however, significant crossover and so now these procedures are also conducted by cosmetic dentists as a way to improve the gum line and hence improve your smile.

One procedure, a cosmetic dentist performs is known as a gingivectomy. This procedure is done by cosmetic dentists and periodontists as a way to save your teeth from being lost. Usually, there is a risk that an infection has spread inside the gum, which can threaten the underlying bone. In order to deal with this the affected gums have to be treated. Diseases like periodontitis cause the gums to become separated from the bone. This creates the effect of deep pockets forming under the gum. Not only is this extremely unattractive to look at but these deep pocket provide the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and infections. Plaque, which is typically easier to brush away, builds up in these hard to clean pockets and will eventually cause long term damage to the gums and teeth. Doing the surgery involves injecting local anesthesia in the gums around the pockets so that the gums are completely numb. Next, using a laser or a scalpel, the dentist will remove the excess matter and loose gum tissue from the site causing the pockets to close. Putty will be placed on the gum so that it has enough time to heal properly. Once this procedure is done successfully your gums will return to their normal healthy appearance.

We perform gingivectomies and provide our patients with the ability to have their gums the right length and contour. Due to a number of dental conditions, or procedures, the gums can become too long or too short. Gum recession, or the shortening of gums, can often leave the teeth looking too long and the root exposed. Too much gum and you have a gummy smile. Done in our offices, under local anesthesia, gum reshaping can give you the right length of gums that not only look great but also provide the right protection for your teeth. As a cosmetic dentist, these are merely two of the ways we can improve your health and appearance at the same time.

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