Can ridge augmentation help repair my smile? i've finally had a lot of needed dental work to replace missing teeth with bridges and implants, but the areas of the gum where i was missing teeth still look kind of strange. if i understand it right, ridge au

Generally, : Generally, yes...It is very difficult to address your specific problem from your description alone. However, gum augmentation and/or bone augmentation can restore width and height to a ridge within certain parameters. This requires you to see a periodontist or another dentist with experience with these procedures. They can best answer you specific questions.

Yes : Yes ridge augmentation can improve your smile in certain areas of the mouth generally speaking, but i would need to see exactly what we were dealing with before making a direct answer. No single procedure on its own will completely restore a smile to ideal appearance. What needs to happen is for you to have a complete treatment plan made that includes the various dental specialties. If bone has receded around teeth it might be possible to increase the bulk of the gum ( gingivae and mucosal ridge) by implanting bone and grafting tissue. It is also possible to replace lost or receded gum work by adding porcelain to the tops of the teeth that is pink and looks just like gum tissue. Ridge augmentation principally seeks to provide a base for dentures, and implants, and yes it can repair a smile. Dr neil mcleod dds dentistry that lasts - quality that counts.

Maybe: Ridge augmentation/grafting is often done to place dental implants, however if there is extensive bone/tissue deficiency, then sometimes further grafting is needed to obtain a better result. A good periodontist can help with this!

It is hard: It is hard to augment the bone height when horizontal bone loss occur. Ridge augmentation produced limited result with augmentation of bone height. Most often, the teeth in the low bone height area is longer in appearance, but it should be camouflage with your lip line. If your smile line (lip line) is high, esthetic is a concern.

See specialists: See the oral surgeon, prosthodontist and periodontist for your best options.

Yes it may...: Certainly restoration of the gums as well as the teeth is needed for the best esthetic result at times. I would discuss this with your dentist. Your dentist knows the particulars of your situation.