Crown Lengthening
Crown lengthening is a procedure to remove the excess gum tissue, exposing more of the "crown" of the tooth. The gum line is then sculpted (or sutured) to create the right proportion between gum tissue and tooth surface. This sets the stage, allowing your new veneers or crowns to have the correct length and shape.

Reasons for Crown Lengthening
This procedure is for patients who feel their teeth are too short (known as a gummy smile) or their gum line is uneven.

Gummy Smile A 13-year-old girl has excessive gingival over­growth (a gummy smile) due to orthodontics.   Eighteen months after crown lengthening procedure.   Four years after crown lengthening procedure.

Wedding A patient wanted to improve the appearance of her crown to enhance her smile prior to her wedding.   A minimally invasive micro­ surgical technique was used to reshape the bone support and to achieve symmetrical crown lengths.   Results after crown length­ening and a new crown.

Postorthodontic After orthodontic treatment, the patient's teeth appear to slope clown to the right and her lower lip appears asymmetrical.   Two months after treatment tooth length and symmetry are improved.

Root Coverage
During this procedure, gum tissue from your palate or other materials are used to facilitate coverage of the exposed root. This can be done for one tooth or several teeth to even your gum line and reduce sensitivity.

Reasons for Root Coverage
Soft tissue grafts can be used to cover roots, develop gum tissue where absent due to excessive gingival recession or to make prosthetic devices, such as dental implants, look natural. In some cases, they can cover exposed roots to protect them from decay and prepare teeth for orthodontic treatment. This may reduce tooth sensitivity and improve the esthetics of your smile as well.

Orthodontics Root coverage will enhance this patient's smile and thicken his gums, decreasing the risk of recession during orthodontic treatment.   Root coverage was completed in one surgery with a gingival graft and the patient underwent orthodontic therapy three months later.   Final results after periodontal treatment and orthodontic therapy.

Exposed Roots This patient wanted to improve her smile.   Root coverage was achieved as well as a significant thickening of the gums, which decreases her risk of obtaining periodontal diseases.

Dental Implant This patient's front dental implant was partially exposed, creating an undesirable smile.   A gingival graft was placed to cover the exposed implant so the I'estorations did not need to be rep Iaced.

Ridge Augmentation
Ridge augmentation procedures are used to correct concavities in the jawbone where natural teeth are missing.

Reasons for Ridge Augmentation
Ridge augmentation corrects depressions in your gum line that are unnatural looking and sometimes make you seem older than you really are. It is also used to prevent the jawbone from co Ilapsing following tooth extraction and helps to even out replacement teeth that may seem too long compared to adjacent teeth.

Asymmetrical Bridge This patient had a fixed bridge and one of the teeth became asymmetri­ cal due to a concavity of his jawbone.   A connective tissue ridge augmentation procedure was performed to repair the concavity.   Ridge augmentation builds up the jawbone, giving the fixed bridge a more natural look.

Ridge Deficiency This patient has a significant gum deficiency and the adjacent teeth have porcelain extensions to create symmetry with the abnormally long two front teeth.   A new bridge with completely revised teeth lengths after ridge augmentation created a much enhanced gum profile.

Combilnation Procedures

A combination of periodontal procedures can result in a beautiful new smile and improved periodontal health - your keys to smiling, eating, and speaking with comfort and confidence.

Reasons for Combination Procedures
Your periodontist may use several different types of procedures to build a framework for your perfect smile. Oftentimes, periodontal plastic surgery lays the foundation for further cosmetic enhancements by your general dentist.

Veneers (root coverage/ crown lengthening) This patient wanted an even gum Iine before getting veneers. The combination of procedures helped to achieve this goal. Groundwork for a Perfect Smile After orthodontic treatment, this patient wanted an even smile.

Orthodontics After orthodontic treatment, this patient wanted an even smile.   Final results show the success of root coverage and crown lengthening procedures.

Girlish Smile These full face before and after photos illustrate there are different tooth shapes and also different types of faces and smiles. A gingival graft and crown lengthening helped improved this young lady's "girlish smile."

Before & After

Before	After
Advanced Recession, sensitivity, frenum pull create a micro-gingival problem.	A connective gingival graft taken from the palate (plus frenectomy) solved the problem.
Before	After
Esthetics, sensitivity and minimal keratinized gingiva.	A connective tissue graft solved this problem.
Before	After
Severe recession caused by an ill-fitting partial-denture (RPD).	A pedicle flap, from the adjacent edentulous ridge solves this problem.
Before	After
Gingival overgrowth caused by excessive amount of plaque (enhanced by tooth position/crowding) [No medical problem/medication].	Gingivectomy followed by derm-abrasion for ideal contour solves this problem followed by orthodontic treatment to take care of the crowding.
Before	After
Frenum pull and lack of keratinized gingiva create a micro-gingival problem that can cause loss of a five-unit bridge.	A free-gingival graft solves this problem. No pocket present following treatment, saveing the tooth and bridge.
Before	After
Advanced gingival recession, minimal keratinized gingiva and crowding.	Connective tissue graft preceding the orthodontic treatment solves the problem.
Before	After
Crown length discrepancy: the right central is too short, the left lateral has receded.	Crown lengthening with osseous recontouring and root-coverage.
Before	After
Esthetic problem due to advanceing recession.	A connective tissue graft with a new crown solves this problem by creating natural appearance.
Before	After
Receded Papilla.	A two step surgical procedure can correct the defect, achieving harmonious anatomy.
Before	After
Ridge Resorbtion.	A Soft-Tissue Ridge Augmentation procedure solved the problem.
Before	After
Before	After
Before	After
Before	After
Before	After
Ridge resorption due to traumatic tooth loss prevents implant.	Plastic periodontal surgery can help.