What Is A Gummy Smile?

So, why do some people have gummy smiles? Well; it could be caused by your gums covering more tooth area than it should, making your teeth look too short - or it could be caused by a high lip line, meaning that, when you smile, your upper lip pulls up higher than that of the average person.

Patients generally come to me as a periodontist to correct this for aesthetic reasons, but a good periodontist should also check if you have an improper bite. The reason for this is that, if your gummy smile is a result of how your teeth erupted and/or how your jawbone developed, these could impact on your long term oral health.

There are 3 different surgical procedures to correct a gummy smile, depending on the cause in your particular case. Once we have ascertained what caused your problem, you will only need a local anesthetic and you will not feel any pain during any of the procedures.

If you only have too much gum covering your crowns or teeth, a simple surgical sculpting procedure called gingivectomy or gingivoplasty will suffice. During this procedure I remove excess gum tissue and perhaps a little bone so that more tooth surface is exposed and the gum line is more even. It is a minimally invasive procedure so I will often place a periodontal dressing over the teeth and gums to protect them.

When it is evident that I will have to expose and remove some underlying tooth bone too, I will opt for flap surgery. This procedure will be chosen if your teeth are naturally short, are quite worn or the bone right under the top of the gums is thick. I will then cut the gum open, do what needs to be done, put some stitches in to ensure it heals perfectly and you will also need a periodontal dressing. This procedure involves a little more pain than with a gingivectomy.

If the cause of your gummy smile is a high lip line when you smile, I might suggest hypermobile lip surgery if I think it will help. Local anesthetic is used and I simply re-attach some gum tissue to your lip at a level closer to the teeth.

At Anthem Periodontics and Dental Implants, we will look at YOUR individual needs and only do those procedures necessary to give you a great smile!

Dentures vs. Dental Implants

Do I Choose Dentures Or Dental Implants?

There are many reasons why so many people now choose dental implants over conventional dentures. The most commonly cited one being that they can enjoy a much higher quality of life. Dental implants are considered to be far more comfortable than dentures. They are also far more secure, as they are permanently attached to posts set in your jawbone. Instead of using bridging wires to hold them to adjacent teeth or in the case of full dentures, some form of bonding agent. In many cases dentures can make a person look and feel much older than they really are. No one wants to live with the aggravation of dentures, they all want to look and feel as young and healthy as possible.

Discomfort Be Gone!

Not only do conventional dentures cause discomfort, they have the potential to cause significant embarrassment in public. Imagine having your dentures come loose in mid-conversation or while you are eating a meal with guests. Even the best bonding agents fail from time to time, leaving you with teeth that slip and click when you are eating and talking. Dental implants are a permanent installation, they become one with your gums and jawbone. Because of this, you never have to worry about them coming loose or causing you any form of embarrassment.

Dental Implants Restore The Joy of Life

Dentures can be a constant hassle, causing wearers to lose their sense of self-confidence. When you have a set of permanent dental implants, you can eat what you want, when you want and never have to worry about it pulling your teeth out. You will regain your self-confidence as you can once again enjoy a very active lifestyle secure in the knowledge your teeth are not going to fall out. Your family, friends, and coworkers will be able to hear you clearly and understand what you are saying. These are only some of the many advantages of choosing full mouth restoration dental implants over conventional dentures. 

Tune in next month to learn about the All-On-Four dental implant. The newest innovation to full mouth dental implants!

Las Vegas Laser Gum Therapy

What Is Laser Gum Therapy?

Laser gum therapy is beginning to be the preferred method in treating periodontal disease. Laser-assisted new attachment procedure (LANAP) uses a tiny laser to get in between the gum and the tooth to treat the infected tissue. Patients prefer this treatment as opposed to the old way of treating gum disease due to its less aggressive nature. Before laser gum therapy, a periodontist would have to physically pull the gums away from the teeth to manually remove the infected tissue. Leaving more strain and soreness on the gums.

Below is a short video on Laser Gum Therapy presented by Dr. De Andrade of Anthem Periodontics.

How Do I Know Laser Gum Therapy Is Right For Me?

Laser Gum Therapy is the newest innovative technology to treat gum disease. With it's less invasive method, it is a preferred treatment option for most patients affected by periodontal disease. For more information or questions on the procedure, please visit Anthem Periodontics website to give us a call or schedule and appointment.

Laser Gum Therapy

Anthem Laser Gum Therapy Offers Help for Gums and Your Overall Health

Periodontal disease has become rampant with busier lifestyles and the prolific abundance of sugary drinks and fast food snacks. Add to this a lack of proper dental care or regular dental checkups, and what you have is a nation of American adults suffering from gum disease. It is estimated that more than 50% of adult Americans have moderate to severe gum disease, but fewer than 3% of them seek periodontal treatment.

Why Gum Disease Treatment is So Important

In addition to infections in your gums and jaw, as well as loss of teeth, there are other important reasons for seeking treatment for inflamed gums. New research shows that there is a link between untreated gum disease and other disease processes in the body. Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and osteoporosis have all been linked to the inflammation in the gums called periodontal disease.

Researchers have found the chemicals in chronic inflammation associated with periodontal disease travel throughout the body and add to other problems. By getting gum disease treatment patients can reduce their risk of these other diseases.

How Does Laser Gum Treatment Help?

Laser gum therapy in Anthem can help to eliminate gum disease without the need for invasive treatments that have traditionally been used. Ultra-thin laser filaments allow dentists to get down into the periodontal pockets and removed disease tissues and bacteria with the least amount of trauma to the gums and teeth.

With old conventional periodontal treatment, gums are cut open, roots are scraped, and stitches are used once diseased tissues have been removed. With laser periodontal disease treatment there is no need for cutting or stitches and bleeding is minimal. Because the laser gum treatment is capable of much smaller incisions it can remove the diseased tissues and leave the healthy tissues in place. This results in faster recovery, and a much better chance of reversing the course of the disease. As an added benefit the laser kills the bacteria in the pocket and denatures the tartar to make it easier to remove.

Treating inflamed gums is critical not only to dental health but also to your overall health. Because gum disease often has few if any serious symptoms it is easy to overlook or ignore. Regular visits to your dentist will not only help to prevent gum disease but it will also insure that you get the right inflamed gums treatment when and if it is needed.

Oral Pathology

Oral Pathology is the treating of conditions that has resulted from morbid functional and anatomic changes in the mouth structure. It can also include the dental and oral treatment of patients who are medically challenged or those who have very serious medical issues. We at our Las Vegas dental implant center offer oral pathology services to all our patients. Our pathologist is a dental professional who specializes in the diagnosis of critical dental cavity disease. Our dentist if it comes across an affected tissue he sends it to our oral pathologist for further study. It is the work of the pathologist to determine if it is cancerous or infectious.

How Does Oral Pathology Work?

Through oral pathology our periodontist can determine whether the patient has cancer or not. The inside portion of your mouth is lined with mucosa which is coral pink and extremely smooth. Any change in its appearance can be a caution sign. The most severe is the mouth cancer. Given below are the symptoms at the start of a pathological procedure or any kind of cancerous growth.

• Chronic sore throat

• Facing problems in swallowing and chewing

• Sore which is failing to recover and bleeds often

• White or red patches

• Thickening on your skin lining of your mouth

How Does It Help?

In an oral pathology these modifications can be perceived on the gum tissue, cheeks, lips, or tongue. Pain doesn’t happen with pathology and is not connected with mouth cancer. However, if you have an oral pain then it can be a cause for mouth cancer. Please contact our Las Vegas periodontist immediately for an oral pathological examination if you have any suspicious sores or lumps in your mouth.

What Is A Periodontist

We still seem to get this question asked of us and have no problem explaining it, and in case anyone wants to know but may be afraid to ask us, here is a good read on our simple explanation.

When you need something beyond the crown of your tooth attended to, in order to make your smile sparkle again, you will see at Anthem Periodontist and Dental Implants rather than a general dentist. While we are professionals in a similar field, the types of treatments and procedures we perform are vastly different. As a periodontist we specialize in the gums, roots and jaw line of the teeth.

To make it simple we say, specializing in your teeth beyond the crown.

A dentist can perform basic procedures like filling cavities, cleanings and some cosmetic work relating to the white of the tooth that you see(which is the crown). A periodontist, however, goes deeper into the tooth in its roots and the gum line around it.

It is imperative for a periodontist to attend 3 years of additional schooling and intensive training beyond that after finishing dental school. The name given to periodontists comes from our doctor’s specialty – the diagnosis and treatment of gingivitis, also known as periodontal disease. Once a patient is diagnosed, gingivitis is treated through a specialized deep cleaning process like scaling or root planing.

This cleaning process should be specific to periodontist Las Vegas as it is important we examine the roots of teeth and work to even remove the damaged tissue from those same roots. Having an expert complete this work will you give you an advantage of trained eyes examining any possible issues beyond bacteria growth both on your tooth’s roots and on the gums.

This type of dental professional also specializes in the installation of dental implants. These devices are surgical grade titanium placed permanently into the jawbone of a patient. This can be done for a single tooth, in place of multiple teeth or even to replace all teeth. In the case of a single implant, the procedure is more effective at preserving teeth surrounding the gap because the replaced tooth acts as a “placeholder” to keep others from shifting. Dental implants are the number one alternative to temporary tooth replacements such as dentures or bridges.

In order to perform the surgical procedure of a dental implant, the doctor will first evaluate the patient’s mouth to see if he or she has enough bone structure to be a candidate. If not, bone grafting may be done prior to any implants being inserted. Once bone stability has been determined, we will surgically implant a dental cylinder into the bone in each place where an implant will go. After a healing period, during which the bone grows around and attaches to the cylinder, the abutment, to which the tooth will attach, is surgically placed. The crown, which is the same size and shape of your prior tooth is then measured, crafted and permanently secured into your mouth. Ultimately the procedure ends with a fully healed mouth and a permanent new tooth that looks and feels the same of your old one.

In addition to treating periodontal disease and installing dental implants, we can also provide cosmetic dentistry and perform other types of procedures to enhance the look of a patient’s smile. Other procedures we specialize in are the coverage of roots when the gum recesses, crown lengthening, tissue grafting, lip repositioning, removing gummy smile and many more aesthetic procedures. We have a full understanding of what many call periodontal plastic surgery and this allows us to cosmetically enhance your smile.

At Anthem Periodontics and Dental Implants Las Vegas we also provide a dental hygienist that can give your teeth the extra cleaning they need and deserve. We recommend utilizing us for this not as a replacement to your general dentist but as an addition to your tooth cleaning cycle. We also take it upon ourselves to go above and beyond to make you feel comfortable in our office. When you make a trip to our office we ensure that you will be comfortable and relaxed with our extensively trained, educated and experienced staff.

Sedation Dentistry in Las Vegas

What Is Sedation Dentistry?

The thought of visiting the dentist fills some people with a sense of dread. Our practice wants to help you avoid this uncomfortable feeling, so we make sure to ask every person who walks through our doors if dental anxiety is an issue for them. If so, we offer them the option of sedation dentistry.
Anthem Periodontics is certified in the state of Nevada to sedate patients who have a fear of visiting the dentist. Before the dental procedure begins, those who choose this option receive sedatives, gases or an IV treatment that puts them to sleep. The benefits of opting to be sedated are many, and they include the following: • Patients are relieved of anxiety before their procedures begin • They are unaware of what is occurring while the procedure is being done • After their treatments are over, they don’t remember what happened • People stop avoiding dental visits and are able to maintain their oral health

The Two Types of Sedation Dentistry

At Anthem Periodontics, Dr. De Andrade offers his patients these two different types of sedation dentistry:
1. Oral Sedation – Also known as “twilight sleep,” oral sedation helps to relax anxious patients so that their dental treatments can be completed in the least amount of time possible. If you choose oral sedation, you will receive medication that we will monitor from the beginning of your visit until after the treatment is over as if we were giving you medication by way of an IV.
2. IV Sedation - This second option puts you to sleep
Whether you choose oral sedation or IV sedation, you will need to have someone drive you home and care for you for a period of time after the procedure is over. Sedation dentistry has been an important advancement in dentistry as a whole because more people are making appointments to see their dentists on a regular basis. Since you will be sedated before anything else happens, you won’t experience any of the unpleasant sensations that you remember from previous dental visits, including the needle that administers local anesthesia. At Anthem Periodontics, you will have the option of taking anti-anxiety drugs that relieve you of the unpleasant feelings you experience before dental procedures, but you will remain awake during your treatment. If you prefer not to be awake during the process, you can also choose to be put to sleep during the procedure. For this option, Amber our certified anesthesiologist will help you fall asleep and monitor you during the entire procedure.