I had my crown lengthening (gum surgery) done by Dr.Kurpis on Friday, August 10th 2018. I’m still recuperating but everything seem to be going well. Dr. Kurpis is such a humanitarian. He truly cares about his patients. He had excellent bedside manners. He even called to see how I was doing after the surgery. The surgery was minimally invasive. I felt little to no pain. I hd sensitivity at the surgical site but that is typical. Dr. Kurpis is genius of his time with tons of experience. Check him out on Youtube! Call for a consultation and ask for Nancy, she is awesome!!! I will add pictures after the sutures are out! I’m feeling excited!!
I have been conscious about my gummy smile for over 20 years. I thought the only solution was to have the orthogenetic surgery. I have consulted 4 doctors however I was turned down by all of them. They all told me I didn’t have any biting or jaw problems and my gummy smile was not severe enough that I in fact looked attractive and the surgery was unnecessary. I have learned how to control my smile and laugh without showing the gum. I had a very bulky bone and gum and it was causing to stretch my lips when I smile. The combination of the effort to control the smile with the lips stretched – my smile was narrow and never attractive – like people can tell I was controlling my mouth. My mouth was always tired when I had to smile for a long time, e.g. parties, socializing, etc… One day I started to search “gummy smile correction” on internet and I found Dr. Kurpis. I was immediately impressed with his work and I contacted him on the next day. Dr. Kurpis responded right away and I was excited to read his response. He suggested the treatment called “Crown Lengthening”. I was not familiar with the term at all but he explained the procedure and how he can trim the bone underneath the gum and that will reduce my lips from stretching when I smile which would eventually give me more full and wide smile. Everything made sense and I decided to go for it. The first appointment was the gum surgery to trim the gum and remove some of the bulky bone underneath it and stitch back the gum. It sounds very frightening and as much as I was excited, I was anxious how it will improve my smile (or not). The procedure itself went much easier than I thought and it took about 1 hr. And the result, when doctor handed me the mirror, I was really surprised by how good it already look!! I was told that it would take about 6-8 weeks for the gum to heal and so I was expecting that I would looks somewhat scary (with the wired teeth showing and stuff) but I looked really good already. Dr. Kurpis himself called me every day to check on how I was doing for the next few days. I was out of town patient but Nancy helped me and so my trip went very smooth. I returned to remove the suture 2 weeks after the gum surgery and I looked really really good, couldn’t be happier!!! It is a subtle change but it made such a huge difference with how I smile and how I feel. I look very good in the pictures too. I am smiling very naturally without controlling my smile. This was one of the best choice I made in a long time and I wish I knew about this procedure long time ago!!
If your veneers are truly too bulky, only a replacement will solve your problem and make you happy. Dentist experienced with porcelain veneers and cosmetic mock up procedures should be able to give you the results you were looking for
A gum lift can accomplish the desired result you are seeking. However, if there is no pocket depth around your existing teeth prior to your surgery , you may need more than a simple gingivectomy (cutting away gum tissue). You may need to lift a flap and remove a corresponding amount of bone similar to the amount of tissue you wish to remove. This is called a crown lengthening procedure. Crown lengthening procedures are necessary in order to establish and maintain a normal biologic width between the crest of the bone and the margin of the free gingival gum tissue. Otherwise , your gum tissue may grow back to its original pre surgical position.
Try looking at the Lumen shade guide and select A1 or D2. Both of these are brighter natural shades but it depends on your complexion and personal taste. Remember, everyone sees color slightly differently, but in the end, the only person you have to really please is yourself.
If you are trying to improve your smile dramatically with porcelain veneers, it would be wise to have a physical mock up of your teeth done in your mouth first. A mock up for porcelain veneers is a technique whereby the dentist uses composite resin to shape the teeth to the size and arrangement that suits the patient's desires. At this stage, it is very easy for the dentist to change teeth size, length and / or arch forms, that are acceptable to the patient before the actual fabrication of the veneers by the ceramist. Considering how much cosmetic smile makeovers cost, It would be a good investment to consider a mock up prior to going ahead with any permanent complex or full mouth cosmetic restorations where patients have very specific ideas about what they want the results to look like.
The first thing any dentist would need would be to see a copy of your x-rays followed by a thorough clinical exam. The combination of selective extractions of hopeless teeth combined with custom permanent porcelain bridge work may be a solution. Because you show significant gum tissue upon smiling, custom gingival shaded ceramic material would have to be included In such a bridgework design. Of course, required periodontal treatment may be necessary before any restorative treatment could be completed. For examples of various advanced cosmetic solutions with porcelain restorations you can refer to the book, Amazing Smiles Through Cosmetic Dentistry, linked below.
