Wellington Office:
Transforming Your Smile for a Healthier, More Confident You
When we think of cosmetic surgery, we often focus on procedures for the face, like the cheeks, eyes, or nose. But there’s one area where appearance enhancements can make a huge impact: your smile.
As more people look to improve their appearance through surgery, cosmetic dentistry and periodontal treatments are seeing a significant rise in popularity. In fact, a poll by the American Academy of Periodontology found that smile enhancement procedures outnumbered eyelid surgeries by a ratio of five to one.
The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry cites a study where participants were shown before-and-after photos of smile-enhancing treatments. Those with improved smiles were rated as not only more attractive but also more popular, successful, sensitive, and friendly.
If you want to enhance your smile, we offer a variety of procedures to help you achieve the smile you’ve always wanted.
Gummy or Crooked Smile
If your gums cover too much of your teeth, making them look short, you may have a gummy smile. Alternatively, an uneven gum line that makes some teeth appear shorter than others is often referred to as a crooked smile.
These issues can be easily addressed with a gum lift or crown lengthening. During this procedure, we remove excess gum tissue and reshape the gum line to lengthen the crowns of your teeth, giving your smile a more natural, balanced appearance.
Exposed Roots
Gum recession can occur due to a variety of factors, including gum disease, vigorous brushing, teeth grinding, or simply aging and genetics. As the gums recede, they expose the roots of the teeth, making them look longer and more vulnerable to decay, sensitivity, and bone loss.
The solution is a soft-tissue graft (also called a gum graft). In this procedure, tissue is taken from the top of your mouth or another area and grafted onto the exposed roots. This restores your gum line to its natural position, protecting the roots from decay and preventing further gum recession.
Missing Teeth
Missing teeth not only create gaps in your smile but can also lead to oral health issues. To restore both the appearance and function of your smile, we use dental implants.
An implant is a replacement tooth attached to a synthetic root surgically placed in the jawbone. Permanent implant crowns look and feel just like natural teeth and can last a lifetime with proper care.
Gum Indentations
When a tooth is lost or removed, it can leave behind an indentation in your gums and jawbone. This happens because the jawbone begins to atrophy or shrink in response to the empty space left behind.
To correct this and restore the natural curve of your gums and jaw, we perform ridge augmentation. This procedure involves smoothing the indentation and sometimes includes bone grafting to restore the missing bone. Ridge augmentation is often performed before placing implants to ensure there is enough bone to securely anchor the new tooth.