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Dr. Hall, Sherry, Some dentists might want to send you to an oral surgeon for this, for radical surgery to cut your entire maxilla (upper jaw) and shorten it. But this not only isn’t necessary but could cause complications with your bite that would adversely affect your TMJ (jaw joint). Expert cosmetic dentists are trained to do what is called a “gum lift.” A small amount of gum tissue and some of the supporting bone beneath it is removed, exposing some of the roots of the upper front teeth. Then porcelain veneers are placed over the front teeth to make them look natural. The teeth end up being a little longer, but in the hands of an artist/dentist, it will look completely natural. Here’s an example of a case done by one of our mynewsmile dentists in Santa Rosa, California, Dr. James Klim, done with the technique I just explained: It’s important in doing this that the dentist keep the incisal edges of the upper front teeth in the same place, and the bite the same. For example, if your front teeth are shortened, you might not be able to bite edge-to-edge any more. Further, in time the upper teeth could drift back down to where they meet the lower teeth, possibly bringing back your gummy smile, or causing some other complication. Notice in the photographs that the upper teeth have simply been made a little longer—not much, just a couple of millimeters. The most important thing for you to do is to select the right dentist. To be honest with you, I’m not certain that every dentist I list on this site would be capable of doing this. My recommendation would be to call a dentist that I recommend and simply ask if they have ever performed a gum lift and if so, can they show you before-and-after photographs of the case. Good luck, Do you have a comment? We’d love to hear from you. Enter your comment below. Click here to ask Dr. Hall a question of your own. |
About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
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