Will My Gum Drop Down with My Dental Implant?

I had a dental implant placed on a tooth which is visible when I smile. The gum for that tooth is higher than the rest of my gums. To me, that looks weird. My dentist suggested I get a temporary crown to see if the gum will drop down on its own. We did that, but I don’t like how the temporary crown looks. Should I get a cosmetic dentist to do it? What if the gum doesn’t drop down?

Mason

Dear Mason,

While the temporary crown is a good idea to see if the gum will drop down, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will. If it doesn’t, here is what I’d recommend. In most cases, your gums aren’t visible when you smile. I would stand in front of a mirror and smile. If you can’t see your gums, it won’t really be necessary to do anything. If you have low gums and they are visible, you will want to have that repaired. Though, your dentist should make that right.

The crown for your dental implant is the bigger deal. Because it is a visible tooth, you will want to be happy with the appearance of the temporary crown before you allow him to place the permanent one. Make sure he uses an all-porcelain crown. Those will look more natural.

While all dentists do dental crowns, when you’re doing it on a front tooth it takes a bit more skill. If your dentist seems unable to get the temporary crown beautiful, don’t let them make you think the permanent crown will look any better. At that point, it is better to see a more skilled cosmetic dentist.

I often recommend patients research both the training and experience the dentist has in both implant dentistry as well as cosmetic dentistry. If we lived in a period of time where just having all your teeth made you beautiful, than just getting a dental crown would be enough. These days, there is a higher standard of attractiveness. Therefore, you should hold your dentists to a higher standard as well. The mynewsmile.com website only recommends skilled cosmetic dentists so if you need to find a new one, I’d start there.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Dentist Dr. David Newkirk.