Cosmetic Periodontal Surgery
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Your smile is an important part of who you are; if you do not love your smile, it can limit your abilities in life as you isolate yourself or allow your self-esteem to suffer. Rather than living with a smile that is gummy, uneven or shows elongated teeth, you could be a good candidate for cosmetic periodontal surgery. Dr. Frishkey is an expert in periodontal surgery, working closely with your dentist to allow you to acquire a smile that you love.
Techniques AvailableThere are a variety of reasons for an unpleasing smile, whether you have excessive gum tissue that makes your teeth look shorter or gum recession that makes your teeth look longer, Dr. Frishkey can perform the proper technique to resolve the issue. He can also perform various surgeries on your gum tissue that help to resolve medical issues, such as gum disease.
Gum Grafting - When your smile seems to show all teeth and no gums, gum recession could be the culprit. This can occur for a variety of reasons including gingivitis, harsh oral hygiene habits, hormonal changes, teeth grinding and insufficient oral hygiene. During gum grafting, Dr. Frishkey takes tissue from the roof of your mouth, placing it in the area that needs more tissue, helping to improve your smile as well as protect the roots of your teeth.
Crown Lengthening - If you are a candidate for a dental crown due to excessive dental decay, crown lengthening is sometimes required. This requires the removal of a small portion of gum tissue and bone in order to expose more of the crown of your tooth, giving a larger surface for the dental crown to be placed.
Osseous Surgery - Gum disease affects more than your gums, when the bones are misshaped as a result of the infection, osseous surgery can help. This surgery is done in order to properly shape the bones that have been affected by the disease and that were not responsive to other procedures, such as scaling and root planing. During the procedure, the infection is removed from the gums and bones, the pockets are removed, and the bones are then properly shaped to promote proper gum health. When the gums are able to adhere to the bone because of the absence of pockets, it is much simpler to keep your gums and clean and free from infection, preventing a relapse of gum disease in your mouth. Osseous surgery is not a commonly used procedure, but it is effective when bone reshaping and pocket eliminating needs to take place as a result of advanced periodontal disease.
Ridge Preservation - If there is a large amount of time in between removal of a tooth and when the replacement tooth (bridge or dental implant) is placed, there is a risk of bone loss. Ridge preservation minimizes that risk by supplying the socket with excess bone or bone grafting material (synthetic material). This bone grafting procedure helps to keep the area strong, rather than having a weakened socket that eventually causes you to suffer bone loss, making dental implants or a bridge more difficult to place in the future. In the end, you will have an easier time with tooth replacement as well as allow it to have a more pleasing look when complete.
Bone Grafting - If you have had a tooth extracted or lost it due to unusual circumstances, you can begin to lose jawbone in that area of your mouth. This can lead to a sunken in look in your face, forcing you to look older almost overnight. Bone grafting can help reduce this look by preserving the area that the tooth was lost, bulking it up and avoiding the elongated look that can result from bone loss.
Guided Tissue and Bone Regeneration - In some cases of gum disease, we are able to help new gum tissue grow rather than reshaping the gum and bone tissue that is left after the disease is removed. Guided tissue and bone regeneration involves the use of membranes that help to “regenerate” the gum and bone tissue that was lost due to the disease. In addition, we sometimes perform a bone grafting procedure at the same time in order to maximize the success of the procedure. This helps to stimulate bone growth and retain the area that your tooth existed, minimizing the risk of bone loss. GTR can be done using restorable materials or with materials that need to be removed down the road.
Healing From Cosmetic Periodontal SurgeryRecovery from cosmetic periodontal surgery is typically uneventful. It is normal to experience some swelling and minor pain, but they should not last for more than a day or two following surgery. You may be given prescription medication to deal with the pain or to prevent infection, depending on the complexity of the surgery performed. If you had bone or tissue grafting performed, you might have to remain on a soft/liquid diet for a few days and limit your physical activity, but the recovery should be rather smooth. Dr. Frishkey will provide you with the instructions necessary for your particular case to ensure optimal healing.
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