The teeth tend to be the focal point of the smile and rightfully so. Straight, white teeth are at the center of spectacular smiles, and patients often have this result in mind when they work with a cosmetic dentist.
The teeth are not the smile’s sole component, however. Other elements, such as the alignment of the jaw and the shape of the lips, factor in, as well. Soft tissues are important, too. Indeed, the gums play an essential role in the smile’s appearance, serving as the frame that emphasizes the main part of the picture.
A gumline that is uneven or too high or too low can have a negative impact on the smile, even when the teeth are in the proper alignment.
Dr. John M. Hucklebridge, your Dallas cosmetic dentist, can help the gums enhance the smile through a procedure known as tissue resculpting. The procedure can be performed right in the office using a local anesthetic.
In performing a tissue resculpting, Dr. Hucklebridge can alter the shape of the gumline, making it even and bringing it into the proper proportions. This goal is achieved by either removing excess gum tissue or by performing a gum graft, taking tissue from elsewhere in the mouth and placing it along the gumline as a supplement for areas with a shortage of gum tissue.
Tissue resculpting can be used to address inconsistencies that arose from congenital or genetic roots, or it may be used to give a boost to gums that have receded due to periodontal disease.
In many cases, tissue resculpting alone is sufficient to improve the smile’s aesthetics. However, in certain patients, an overgrowth of bone can be a complicating factor, causing an unwanted regrowth of gum tissue following the treatment. These patients may also need to have a crown lengthening, in which some of the excess bone is removed along with the gum tissue in order to achieve permanent results.
Contact Plano Smile Studio at 972.398.2550 to see if your uneven or prominent gums can be improved through tissue resculpting.
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