Miracle of perio plastic surgery: Treatment for esthetic smile

Abstract

A smile expresses a feeling of joy, affection, courtesy, self-confidence, and kindness. The harmony of a smile is determined mostly by the teeth, but also the gingiva plays an important role. The shape, size, and color of gums affect the smile and overall appearance of an individual. The appearance of unesthetic anterior teeth or gums may have a significant psychological and emotional impact on the patient. Gingival pigmentation occurs in all races of mankind. The clinical melanin pigmentation and excessive gingival display are of major esthetic concern for many people, especially when it is visible while smiling. Here is a case report describing a successful management of a 22-year-old female patient with gummy smile and dark unpleasant gingiva. This problem was resolved by simply removing the excess of gingival tissues with a crown lengthening procedure involving gingivectomy and the depigmentation of dark gums was done with scalpel surgery technique, simultaneously. Both these procedures ultimately produced a satisfactory esthetic result to the patient.

Keywords

• crown lengthening procedure
• depigmentation
• gingivectomy
• gummy smile
• scalpel technique