A Cosmetic Dentist in Southfield Can Improve the Appearance of Your Gums

When you see a cosmetic dentist, you come in with set expectation. This expectation is that you want to leave with a far better smile than before. We understand this expectation and work hard to culture it. At our office, we want to make sure that patients have the bright and beautiful teeth they desire. As such we have perfected a number of techniques and procedures to give you what you want.

Possible treatment options

Some of the more common things we help people with are teeth whitening, the replacement of lost teeth through dentures, bridges, or dental implants, dental veneers or porcelain crowns, and the straightening of crooked or misaligned teeth with braces. These are our bread and butter procedures that we perform on a regular basis. There are other techniques we use to improve the appearance of a patient's mouth, which is not quite as well known but can have quite an impact on the aesthetics of a smile. Two of these are gingivectomies and gum contouring.

As a cosmetic dentist in Southfield, we can and will have a significant impact on the mouth's overall health and well-being. If the gums are unhealthy, we may suggest performing a gingivectomy. A gingivectomy is essentially the removal of excess gum tissue from the gums, where they have created troublesome deep pockets. Typically, people who need a cosmetic dentist to perform this kind of procedure are suffering from gum diseases.

The disease causes the teeth and gums to become separated, leaving a gap between the two. When this happens deep pockets appear in the gums, which can become deadly to the teeth if left alone. The pockets are breeding grounds for bacteria since plaque is allowed to build up in this hard to clean spot virtually unchallenged.

Starting the process

To begin treatment, we will start by numbing the gums with a local anesthetic. This ensures that patient does not experience any discomfort while we are performing the surgery. Once the gums are sufficiently numb, we will remove the excess tissue that is loose from the gums using a scalpel, radiosurgery, or laser surgery. If there is any contouring necessary, to prevent the gums from having a loss of shape, we will perform that as well. Finally, we will put some putty over the gums to protect them while they heal and get back to normal.

Contouring the gums is an important procedure. When the gums are too short, the teeth appear to be too long and sometimes, gum recession can expose the roots. When the gums are too long, they can also alter the appearance of one's smile. In either of these two cases, we can solve the problem with a short, in-clinic procedure, gum contouring.

As a cosmetic dentist, these are only some of the ways that we can improve the appearance and function of your gums.