Dr. Hall,
I am suffering from periodontal disease. I have searched for a cosmetic dentist that does gingival masks in my area and haven’t found one. Would you have any idea what I should search for?
My gums have receded a lot, so I have large black triangles between my front teeth. And then I and am scheduled for gum surgery in the near future which is going to make them look worse. It’s a very unsightly thing and seems to be getting worse, and I think a gingival mask would help a lot.
Also, have you seen gums come back to fill these triangles in after gum surgery, seems the future of my once nice smile is in jeopardy. I just want to be able to smile confidently again, any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Mike from Michigan
(See Dr. Hall’s answer below.)
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Mike,
Here’s the thing on gingival masks. Even cosmetic dentists who do a lot of appearance-related dentistry don’t get calls for them very often, so they’re very unlikely to mention them on their websites. And if you call the office, the receptionist is likely to not know what you are talking about. But any dentist who is seriously into aesthetic dentistry is going to be able to do this for you and do a nice job.
The concept of a gingival mask is fairly simple. It’s simply a piece of silicone shaped to fit over these black triangles between your front teeth and colored to look like gum tissue. It has little tags that slip through those black triangles and help anchor it into place.
Gingival mask photo courtesy of Chromeworks Lab, Chico, CA
Silicone is used in dentistry for several purposes—soft denture liners for one. So any dental lab that does dentures should be able to make them. And all the dentist has to do is send a good plaster model to the dental lab. So any dentist who is really into cosmetic dentistry should be able to make this.
So my suggestion would be to simply make an appointment with any cosmetic dentist that I recommend on this website, and I’m confident they could do this for you.
And no, your gum is not going to grow back. Sometimes this may be able to be corrected surgically, but that can be tricky and will work in limited circumstances. The gingival mask prosthesis however will address the aesthetics of your situation, if you have a high lip line that shows your gums. If the black triangles aren’t too large, you could widen the teeth at the gumline with dental bonding. But if you have large black triangles as you say you have, that would give you long teeth with odd shapes, but a gingival mask will make the teeth look shorter and will completely cover the black triangles.
– Dr. Hall
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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.
Dr. Hall,
Can you please point me in the direction of a dentist in the Las Vegas/Henderson, Nevada area that can make a gingival mask. All of the places I have called have never heard of one. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
– Kelley Chandler
Kelley,
I’ll bet the problem is that you’re talking to the staff and it’s the STAFF who have never heard of this. You need to talk to the dentist. And even if the dentist hasn’t heard of the gingival mask, he or she just has to call a lab like Glidewell lab or the Chromeworks Lab mentioned above and they will tell the dentist that they will be happy to take the case and will tell them what they need in order to make one. Any dentist who is passionate about cosmetic dentistry and does other beautiful work should be able to help you, even if they’ve never done one before.
– Dr. Hall
Hi Dr. Hall, would you know of any dentists in nyc or nearby cities that would make me a lower gingival veneer. My uppers are fine. The lower ones not so much. The only thing is there is only one tooth that a veneer can attach to. The other ones unless it was as thin as dental floss it would not go through. But my gum recession is bad and even though I don’t have actual black triangle “holes” — the area in between the teeth near the gumline is dark because of the recession. And the teeth are looking too long.
– Kat
Response by Dr. Hall:
Kat,
I’m not sure what you mean by a lower gingival veneer. Any of our recommended dentists would be able to make you a lower veneer for your tooth. But if you mean a gingival mask, that’s a different matter. Any dentist who is willing to take the trouble to call Glidewell or any lab that makes gingival masks should be able to get a gingival mask for you. If you call their office, the person answering the phone will almost certainly tell you they don’t do gingival masks, because they never heard of it. I think the best bet is just to get a consultation appointment with the dentist and then ask him or her to call Glidewell lab or the other labs that I mention and have them make you a gingival mask.
Hi Dr Hall,
I have periodontal disease. It’s maybe not as severe visually as some others suffering from this, but it sure feels severe to me. My triangles aren’t large, but they aren’t going to get smaller either. What compounds my issue is that I already had large teeth, and a high lip smile.
I’ve had the same issues as other commenters. With both staff and even the dentists/periodontists. They have no idea what I’m talking about. What’s even more disheartening is that they balk at the idea once they have been made aware of gingival masks,
I appreciate your advice here about how to get them to help even if they are ignorant of them.
I have two main questions:
1) Can the gingival mask be colored to match my darker pigmented gums? I desperately want a gingival mask, but am slightly concerned about suddenly having light pink gums that don’t match my actual gums.
I read on pubmed about some masks that are more translucent which helps to blend in the undertones, but it’s been so difficult to get help with this, adding special requests makes the matter feel more futile.
Can Glidewell accommodate this situation?
2) Is it possible to make a gingival mask for the molar region? I’m interested in this to add a barrier between my teeth and my cheeks for support and comfort, as well as the aesthetics of my face, even if subtly.
Thank you for the help you’ve already provided,
Jeremy from Michigan
p.s. Do you have any thoughts on why gingival masks aren’t more widely known or recommended? When I first found out about gingival masks a few years ago, from my own research, they seemed like an answer to a prayer! I don’t care how simple they are, I would pay a pretty penny for one.
Response from Dr. Hall:
Yes, the mask can be colored to match darker gums. This is a common request. I’d be nervous about using translucent material.
About why they aren’t more widely known, I’m guessing it’s because of the small demand. I remember doing only two for patients of mine in my cosmetics-oriented practice. But while small, the demand is strong from those who really need this.