Dental Implant is Too Deep, Tooth Looks Long

Dental implants, especially in the front of the mouth, need to be placed with a high degree of accuracy. When an implant is placed too shallow or worse yet too deep in the front of the mouth it creates a cosmetic failure– a long tooth and sometimes black triangles.

This is especially true on a patient who has what we call a “high smile line“. This is when you smile and you show more of your gums than average. If she had a low smile line, then it wouldn’t be noticeable when she smiles.

Here is an example of a patient that had an implant placed in about the year 2004. The dental implant was placed as an immediate tooth replacement which is a great option most of the time. Unfortunately the dental implant was placed too deeply into the bone. She hated this tooth.

When this happens you end up with a very long tooth. And worse yet, there is not a lot of good options that can be done to correct it once it is in this position. So in her case, I had to actually extract the implant and rebuild her jaw bone with 2 to 3 bone grafting and gum grafting procedures in order to put a new implant in a more shallow position. A block bone graft was needed also.

This is about as difficult as it gets. This case is difficult because I had to regrow bone vertically, closer to the edge of the natural teeth. Building bone vertically rather than horizontally is always more tricky and requires several very advanced techniques.

You can see in the picture with the white dental implant custom abutment, that the new implant is at a better level because the gumline is more even with the tooth next to it.

Unfortunately the deeply placed implant permanently stripped bone off of the teeth on the side, and that is not repairable.

Compare the levels of the two implants on the x-rays.  One is much more shallow than the other. The shallow one was placed by myself and the deeper one was placed back in 2004 by another dentist.

Occasionally you can recover a deep, long tooth implant with a new custom abutment and gum graft. But I caution you that this is truly a very difficult procedure and should be completed by an expert in implant dentistry so that you can anticipate a result before you ever even get started.

Please feel free to ask questions or leave comments below.


Ramsey A. Amin, D.D.S.
Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology /Implant Dentistry
Fellow-American Academy of Implant Dentistry

72 thoughts on “Dental Implant is Too Deep, Tooth Looks Long”

  1. Feeling hopeless. After bone graft and waiting to heal, I finally had my implant placed (lower front teeth). The implant crown goes deep, inside my mouth (longer than my other teeth by far), and it is highly irritating. The crown was made bulky as well and begin to pull and cause pressure on my gums. The new implant crown was attached to another implant crown and then a pontic crown. Disaster. The pontic crown was removed because I started having too much pain it was awful. I have three extracted teeth and two implants, one implant that I believe is mispositioned (the new one too deep in my mouth touching my tongue). I want my tooth length to be close to my gumline like my other teeth. It feels frustrating, the crown is strangling my gums. I know it needs to be removed because, it is causing me plenty of pressure. I am just wondering your thoughts. three teeth missing at the front can’t be a hopeless situation. Noting, I have to start all over. I want to feel like those people I saw in your video, happy with my new teeth and free of pain. Thanks

    Reply
    • I’m sorry to hear about the challenges you’re facing. Given the complexity of your situation, it sounds like a combination of vertical and horizontal bone grafting, along with tissue grafting, might be necessary to create a stable foundation for your implants and crowns. This approach can help address issues with implant depth and positioning.

      In some cases, if the lip line is low, pink ceramic can be used to aesthetically enhance the appearance of the gums and teeth, making the implants blend in more naturally with your existing teeth. However, the specific treatment plan would depend on a thorough examination

      Reply
  2. Can vertical grafting only be done if you have implants? I have crowns on my front teeth and a very high smile line similar to this lady. I have healthy gingiva, but that particular area was chronically inflamed because the crowns were placed too close to the bone violating the biologic width. They there did crown lengthening which resolved the inflammation, but left me with unaesthetic asymmetry to my smile. They actually ended up doing crown lengthening three times. The first time didn’t resolve the problem, the second time did, and then the third time was to try to even things out aesthetically. I imagine there’s only so much they could do though, because it really did not help the aesthetics to much and they’re still clear asymmetry with one tooth being at clearly higher than the other and looking rather disproportionate to the rest of my smile. I was hoping I would just get used to it, but unfortunately it still bothers me.

    Reply
  3. Hello,
    I received a dental implant on my front tooth last year. It looks great and have no complications other than the tooth being too thick. It bulges out in the front and the back and feels very uncomfortable and unnatural in my mouth. When I asked the doctor if there was a way to shave it down in the back to make it align with my other teeth, he said he didn’t want to do that because it would make the tooth less sturdy. Is this normal for the tooth to not be the same thickness as my natural teeth? Is there anything I can do about this?

    Reply
  4. Dr. Amin,
    One of my front teeth is an implant. The implant was place way to high and it has perforated my nasal floor so that there is an oral nasal fistula. Have you ever successfully treated a patient with this condition? Do you know if it is possible to remove my current implant and bone graft the area so that it can be replanted?

    Reply
  5. Hi Dr. Amin,
    I have planned dental implants this week in my 4 front top teeth? My dentist and implantologist initially suggested that I have zirconia implant for aesthetic purposes to avoid gray peeking through. I did bonegraft twice (waited 6 months in 1st bonegraft then 9 months healing for the 2nd) to achieve the needed width but in my cbct last Saturday it shows I still need additional bonegraft for the zirconia planned exact position. But I’m tired of waiting and another bonegraft is additional cost so I ask if there are other option. They said it’s possible with titanium as it has more flexibility in terms of position with different abutment options.
    How likely that the post will be peeking through? they mention I can also have soft tissue augmentation to improve the aesthetic. Am I compromising long term results by going with titanium in front teeth now instead of waiting again for another bonegraft.

    Reply
  6. Hi, I have a dental implant done on my missing front teeth(with a bone graft) and I’m not happy, the crown looks long, it does not align with the other front teeth, wish I can show you a pic of how it looks, do you know why this might have happened? not what I expected at all, very sad.

    Reply
  7. Hello,
    I am 24 year old, I had first molar extracted when I was 21 old , I had implant last year on September,
    I had knife edge bone but doctor told I have good bone height and go for direct implant no need for bone grafting, After implant I noticed that the implant is deep and gums not covered . Now I have anxiety and worried about it.
    Can you please help? should I go another implant or I can get bone grafting on implant?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Can you upload pics to a public google drive?
      This is the only way I would be able to see it in the forum.
      Would need GOOD pics of your mouth and ideally an x-ray!

      Reply
  8. Hi, I am a 23 year old who is almost finished in the process of getting a dental implant for tooth #8 (just waiting on the crown to arrive). My surgeon said that I had very little bone, so my healing cap is placed pretty high up–it’s the same gum line difference as the woman you showed. I had to undergo bone grafting two times because it was too soft for the implant the first round. My smile line isn’t as high as hers but it does show the uneven gum line when I smile really big, which isn’t infrequent. Do you think I should look into redoing the implant as you showed, or do you think my lack of bone wouldn’t allow for proper grafting to occur?

    Thank you for any help you can give me!

    Reply
  9. Hello, I had three implants, my two front teeth, and one cantilevered onto the front left tooth, because the original implant failed. This was maybe about 2008. Even though the are still good, and I am not a high smiler, I have never liked my smile since because it doesn’t look like me, to me. The teeth are too square and stubby for me. I think my own front teeth were longer, even if just a little. Is there any way these implants can be made a little longer? It’s a shame because it cost so much, and they were done twice and still are too square and stubby. My dentist disagreed with me, but I know it doesn’t look like me. Really bothers me. Don’t like my smile anymore. I preferred the teeth on a plate, and the bridge that broke. Thank you.

    Reply
  10. Would you consider this to be malpractice if the dentist put in an implant too high and deep without telling the patient of the probable outcome before doing the implant? My dentist put an implant 5 mm too high on the left lateral and before he put the crown on, he pulled the canine tooth and the temporary for this 2 tooth area pushed the gums up so they look like an archway. He did this slowly over a 9 month period, it was not an immediate tooth replacement. I took out the too high implant and the surgeon did one bone graft and there was very little difference in the gum shape. I had a cantilever bridge on the canine to replace the missing lateral. He should have just put the implant in the canine tooth – it wouldn’t have moved the gums up. I told him many times that I wanted my teeth to be the same size, but he would walk out of the office when I was talking to him. I showed him your article and he never commented on it. Would you consider writing a commentary on this for me if I hired you to do so?

    Reply
    • I am sorry that you have a bad outcome. I do not have enough information to make a definitive opinion. That would require a clinical exam.

      Reply
    • I think you give people false hope with this story. I went to the best surgeon in Houston. I had a bone graft, gum graft, bone transplant, gum graft, then another bone graft and another gum graft. I gained 2 mm of gum tissue. But when the dentist put in the implant, he pushed it right back up to the bone, making all the pain and money spent in the past two years in vain. I wish I never would have seen this article. I’m glad it worked out for her. As for me, I cry every time I look in the mirror. All because of an error on the part of my dentist. It should be illegal to do this unless it is made very clear to the patient before starting what the outcome will be.

      Reply
      • Why would you say he is giving anyone false hope. Obviously he’s a specialist and can fix the problem. If you don’t like you teeth go to a specialist and get them!! Obviously the guy that did your teeth did not know what he was doing.

        Reply
  11. Hi Dr. Amin, sir i have same problem as you mentioned about this patient article which i read exactly same mistake done by my dentist. Implant was done almost end of july 2018 and it is a very deep in to the mouth in front upper center teeth… Give solution for it , Thank’s

    Reply
        • It is possible to get an implant removed at any time. Time is not a factor.

          Getting a perfect tooth depends on so many factors. If this is upper front it would likely require multiple corrective surgeries in order to obtain a really good looking tooth. Another option if this is the front of the mouth would be a bridge which is not bad in certain situations.

          Maybe you can provide more details?

          Reply
    • Great question. I treated this patient years ago. Implant is still doing well. I completely removed the existing implant and replaced it with a new implant after considerable bone grafting.

      Reply
  12. Hi Doc Amin , my all on 6 the right side is taller and the left side is shorter my right jaw feels tired my dentist said he cant see any problem is it correct?

    Reply
    • Most of us have some unevenness to our smiles. Generally this is worked out and during the provisional stage. Without seeing you this is very difficult to answer. The tiredness is a different issue altogether and maybe the teeth bite was not designed the best that it could be.

      Reply
  13. Hi Dr. Ramsey,

    I had an implant inserted by a periodontist back in October, 2018 and I was told I was a “good candidate” and the procedure went well. The periodontist was very confident and even played music throughout the procedure. When he shot the x-ray it looked normal. He advised to not chew on that side for the next few months of which I was very conscious about for the most part but, I think maybe once or twice I might have accidentally pushed a solid piece of food against it for maybe a millisecond causing pain. I went in for a post-3 month check-up with my dentist today for a crown consult and she said that I was ready for a crown but that the implant looked like it was inserted too close to the edge, however, that it looks inserted just fine in terms of precision according to the x-ray. She said that she can put the crown in but that it would stick outwards and look odd. I asked if they can maybe make the hole closer to the edge of the crown so it can align properly and she said that can be done to a certain extent and even then, the crown would still stick outwards. The dental office quoted me about $2,000 for out of pocket costs even when my insurance covers 60% so, now I have a dilemma with paying a $2,000 procedure that’s not even going to look nice! I called the periodonists office after and they agreed to provide a free consult tomorrow. This is tooth #31 on (my) lower right side. Originally extracted by a dental surgeon in July, 2017 due to an infection and no bone graft was needed at the time. Other than a short case of dry socket, the dental surgeon advised I was healing very nicely after a post-3 month check-up. I am a 28 year old female in excellent health. What would you do in this situation?

    Reply
  14. I have all in four. Top and bottom. Awaiting final zirco. Last week during wax fitting the doctor notice that one of the upper implants is a bit deep, causing a bit difficulty and discomfort (for me) during removable and placement of the temp.

    My concern is will this cause more problem down the line? Is there a way to fix this?

    Reply
    • Just because you had pain on insertion does not necessarily mean you’ll have problems down the line. The 2 are not necessarily directly related. I would not worry about it.

      Reply
  15. Hello Dr Ramsey,
    I sent a message a couple days ago and would like to follow up with some pictures so you can see my situation.I can’t seem to attach the photos to this comment box.Is there an email address I could follow up with? I’m scheduled to have a tissue graft in a couple of days and I’m concerned about going ahead with it. Thanks for your time,
    Marcy Armstrong

    Reply
    • Unfortunately I had to shut off that feature some years ago because of a few mischievous people were trying to upload a virus

      Reply
    • Dr Ramsey,
      I ended up with a long front tooth. Tissue was removed above the temporary on the implant tooth before the final crown. When the final crown on the implant was placed it pushed the gum up even more. I’m very unhappy with long tooth result.I saw a periodontist.She suggests cutting the gum tissue on the other front tooth so it matches the long tooth.She also said a tissue graft was necessary to thicken the gum above the implant crown.What is your opinion on this?

      Reply
  16. Dear Dr. Amin,

    Your blog is very informative, and it pains me to say that inadequate bone grafting, and poor planning is a risk with the wrong dental provider. Or, the implant is being placed in the wrong angle or position, resulting in unexpected and undesirable results. A lot of this happens from poor pre-planning, as you have mentioned. When you are correcting work from other surgeons, do you ever use BMP, in the esthetic zone ? Or do you prefer allografts, or an autogenous block bone graft ? Thank you. Alexia

    Reply
    • I use everything you have mentioned except BMP. I have not found the need for BMP which stands for bone morphogenic protein. It has a whole host of problems that come along with the. I prefer L PRF made from your own bodies bloodstream. In the last 2 decades I have not had any issue regrowing any amount of bone that I need without it. I use allografts, xenograft, block grafts and at times synthetic. There is no one perfect bone substitute. Each situation is case dependent. Thank you for your kind words

      Reply
  17. I have an implant that was done in 2001. It looks very similar to the one in this post. Some metal can be seen and the top of the crown had to be colored pink. My crown has come out and the dentist wants me to get the gum fixed before he will do a new crown. My main question is concerning the hygiene aspect of the metal being exposed. He mentioned hygiene being a concern and the main reason to work on the gum. I don’t have a high smile so I am not worried about cosmetics. I would rather not do surgery if they are not required.

    Reply
    • The process of replacing the crown may damage the already very thin gum that is receding. Your dentist is giving me good advice. I would suggest you follow it.

      Reply
  18. Dr. Ramsey
    Thank you for this wonderful website. I just had my implant crown abutment placed today… temporarily (using a temporary cement) on my front tooth #9. I have a high smile line. They did originally do a bone graft when they extracted the infected tooth. However, my gum line is now horribly uneven. It’s about a 1/4” higher on my implant tooth. It’s looks terrible with my natural smile and I’m trying to retrain myself to smile more discreetly. 🙁 Will my gum tissue eventually cover the top of this crown? Or, is this most likely my permanent situation? My dentisit said let’s wait a week and see how the gum looks. I’m very nervous. He mentioned a gum graft or coloring the top of the crown to look like my gums as possibilities if the gum tissue does bot respond like we need it to.

    Reply
    • Yikes…(1/4” higher on my implant tooth/smile more discreetly)

      Only the gum triangles may fill in a little bit but the main tooth height generally will not improve. Waiting a week will do nothing. What did the temporary look like? The gum should have been shaped and formed to ideal. This would give you an idea of the gum triangles and general shape before moving to the final..

      Read the posts I have linked above.

      Reply
      • Thank you Dr. Ramsey. It sounds like I will have to get a gum graft. You are right… a week did nothing. The gum line is still high. There are no gum triangle issues thankfully. The temporary was just a piece filled in a dental tray that I wore and was not actually attached to my gums.

        Reply
    • Hi Dr. Amin, I know that this is an old post but this happened to me on my recently placed implant. I broke #8 hiking and it cracked down towards the root and every dentist recommended an implant. I have 3 others so I was fine with this option. The temporary crown was slightly higher than the tooth next to it #9 but my dentist put the permanent on a couple of days ago and it’s much higher. I’m wondering if its thenshape of the new crown that caused so much recession? Is it too late to try and fix up the gums again to at least be at the height of the temporary? I don’t have a very high smileline but you can see it when I laugh. My dentist knows my concerns but does not think it can be fixed.

      Reply
      • Without seeing you it’s impossible for me to tell you if it can be fixed or not. These are very difficult situations to deal with. There is a remote chance that the crown and abutment can be removed and a new one with different contours can be placed to move the gum back down. This takes a lot of skill and a perfect situation.

        Reply
  19. Hi Dr. Amin,

    Your website is very helpful. Thanks for sharing. I think i made a terrible mistake. I had bone graft for a front congenitally missing tooth (#10). It was done by a dentist who used synthetic material. The dentist cut into the gum on my adjacent teeth(#9) to do the bone graft and she added bone to the top of the adjacent teeth (as padding i suppose). She never told me she would be touching the surrounding bone. It’s only been a couple of days but my adjacent teeth gum is now longer than #8; whereas before, it lined up perfectly. Now, i’m worried she jacked up my gum line, but i won’t know until four months from now. Now i’m terrified and don’t know if I should continue with her. My issue is that i need a zirconia implant and this dentist was one of the only dentist that could help me. Dr. Amin, I would appreciate any recommendations you have.

    Thank you so much again for your insight.

    Best,

    Faith

    Reply
    • Somehow I missed this comment from 2017…sorry. I would love to hear an update and how things worked out (fingers crossed!)
      Dr. Amin

      Reply
  20. Hello,

    I am 38 years old.

    I have 2 implants placed in 2010 as well as the bone graft on #9,#10 . Overtime, the gum receded tremendously especially on #10 and was looking like this patient of yours or worse.

    My current Dr. told me that implants were placed in too deep. so he decided to put #10 to sleep and currently using 1 implant on #9.

    CT scan and x-tray shows that I have enough bone to support both implants and totally functional.

    I have had gum graft in July 2016, the #10 somewhat looked better but #9 started to get worse and the gum is receding now(very long tooth). he wanted to perform another gum graft from the roots and tries to pull the gum down but I wanted to wait on it and place a final crown for now, because I am hoping to move to CA in few years and I feel likeI need a experienced doctor.

    I am a very thin person and my gum also is very thin….the Dr could not take any from donor site so he used an alloderm.

    But as I was reading your comment here, it is better to stay on the temporary crown rather than final if I want to pursue more surgery in the future???? I do not want to give up yet although I have very complicated situation(high smile line) and result may be compromised, I still want to improve esthetics a little more than right now.

    The Dr doesnt want me to stay in the temporary since I am hard grinder at night(using mouth guard )and hard biter, my temporary fractured twice and the screw got loose multiple times so that I got accesses etc…(but implants looked good on x-tray).

    I have planned to start making the final on 1/23/17 and I am wondering what are your thoughts on placing the final now?

    and about my over all situation. is there any treatment options left for me?pink porcelain is definitely my last resort……

    Reply
  21. Hello,

    I am 38 years old.

    I have 2 implants placed in 2010 as well as the bone graft on #9,#10 . Overtime, the gum receded tremendously especially on #10 and was looking like this patient of yours or worse.

    My current Dr. told me that implants were placed in too deep. so he decided to put #10 to sleep and currently using 1 implant on #9.

    CT scan and x-tray shows that I have enough bone to support both implants and totally functional.

    I have had gum graft in July 2016, the #10 somewhat looked better but #9 started to get worse and the gum is receding now(very long tooth). he wanted to perform another gum graft from the roots and tries to pull the gum down but I wanted to wait on it and place a final crown for now, because I am hoping to move to CA in few years and I feel likeI need a experienced doctor.

    I am a very thin person and my gum also is very thin….the Dr could not take any from donor site so he used an alloderm.

    But as I was reading your comment here, it is better to stay on the temporary crown rather than final if I want to pursue more surgery in the future???? I do not want to give up yet although I have very complicated situation and result may be compromised, I still want to improve esthetics a little more than right now.

    The Dr doesnt want me to stay in the temporary since I am hard grinder at night(using mouth guard )and hard biter, my temporary fractured twice and the screw got loose multiple times so that I got accesses etc…(but implants looked good on x-tray).

    I have planned to start making the final on 1/23/17 and I am wondering what are your thoughts on placing the final now?

    and about my over all situation. pink porcelain is definitely my last resort……

    Reply
    • I would stay in a temporary for longer. you may want to consider removing the implant altogether and just starting over. This article on formation of the triangle of gum tissue may help you get a better understanding for how I use temporary restorations to achieve ideal aesthetics. Keep in mind this always starts with a well placed implant with at least a millimeter or 2 of bone on the outer surface. Good luck, I hope everything works out for you.

      Reply
      • Thank you very much for your response.

        I saw this article, looks amazing. and I definitely believe that I need to remove these implants and do all over again. but I want to do it when I move to CA.

        I still have to stay where I am for an another few years.

        May I ask the reason why I should stay in temporary? I did not see you mentioning about it in the article or the comments.

        I do know it hurts financially to make multiple finals but my root of the temporary got broken and loose multiple times because of my hard bite and grinding.

        Even then, would you recommend to stay with temporary???

        Reply
        • yes, the temporary needs to be made so that you cannot bite on it or grind on. It should be completely out of the way of all of your teeth. I have many patients that stay in temporaries for a year with no issues.

          Reply
  22. Do you have any contacts that you would trust with this procedure in the Netherlands ( I am currently working here) or Northeast (US – I will repatriate to Boston when my assignment is done).

    Reply
  23. Thanks for your explanation and hartley taking care of your patients,
    am going to the placement of my implants these coming weeks and I really worried about this issue -too deep placement- because my upper gum is very high and the doctor advised me to have deep implants and then color the upper part of the teeth with same color of my gum. I did bone graft procedure earlier this year to support my implants.
    so please what do think is the best option in my case?
    my best regards

    Reply
  24. thank you for the very well written explanation…my friend went to a really cheap dentist and ended up looking this way. It was one of those billboard/radio advertisers. I need an implant too…I will be calling your office.

    Reply
    • Thanks for your vote of confidence…I will take great care of you. Sorry to hear about your friend.
      here are some examples of patients treated by me:

      Smile Gallery

      Ramsey A. Amin, D.D.S.
      Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology /Implant Dentistry
      Fellow-American Academy of Implant Dentistry
      Burbank, CA

      Reply
  25. Hello,
    I just had an implant, crown placement within the last 4 weeks, on my front tooth and have similar results, the gum is 1/2 inch higher on my implant tooth than my other front tooth. I am worried sick about it. My Dr. wants to “wait and see” he said gum grafting wont work and that “nothing is perfect in life”. Meanwhile I shy away from talking to people and I cover my face when I talk. I’m panicked that this is how I’ll have to live now. Do you think it’s too late? Can anything be done? Thanks for any suggestions.

    Reply
    • Hi Jean,

      If it is the final crown rather than a temporary crown, your gum is not likely to come down and cover it. 🙁
      Typically on a complex single front tooth I will try to work out all of the aesthetics and gum positioning in the temporary phase. As long as the teeth on either side is healthy and the implant is positioned with substantial bone on the outer wall, the dental implant can be made to look extremely natural.

      It may not be too late to try other options such as removing the crown and placing a temporary but I am assuming you already went through all that stage.

      Some situations no matter what you do are compromised from the beginning and the dental implant will look longer than the other teeth. I have many patients like him to me in the same situation The point is to predict this in advance so that there are no surprises in the end. This is something I spend a ton of time on with each patient so they can understand their final result before anything is ever begun. I know hindsight is 20/20 and doesn’t help too much.

      Let the tooth stay the way it is until about 8-12 weeks after it was placed. That will likely be the final resting place of the gum tissue. At that point you can make some determination with what you want to do.

      Front Teeth Dental Implant Samples

      Ramsey A. Amin, D.D.S.
      Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology /Implant Dentistry
      Fellow-American Academy of Implant Dentistry
      Burbank, California

      Reply
  26. A fantastic article, showing me the benefits of implants and the reality of implants. It exactly tells me the procedure of impalnts. very beneficial read.

    Thank You

    Reply
  27. Hi, is what you did here called an autogenous bone graft? then a gum tissue graft? I’m 57 yrs old, and in need of implants over teeth 7, 8, 9 and 10. the cuspids are ok, but also shave a good deal of gum loss. The teeth are still in with the exception of 10 right now, but tooth 9 looks exactly like your patient above, the gum height is dramatically different between 8 & 9. I’m afraid the oral surgeon just wants to put the implants in, and move on. He says when the teeth are extracted and bone is added there won’t be enough bone to support a tissue graft. I’ve been to an oral surgeon and a periodontist, the oral surgeon says the teeth will have to be made larger, and the periodontist says i could get a prosthetic built on the implant crown bridge.
    I’ve told both that I’d like to have gum grafting done, and am willing to get the additional bone but i don’t know why (i’m am in good health) they don’t seem to want to do this.
    Do you see a reason why what you did to the above patient wouldn’t work for me to even out the span in my front teeth? I don’t smoke, have good oral routine, and I’m an easy patient. Thank you so much,

    Reply
    • Hi jojo,

      I don’t really know why a tissue graft would not be done. Without seeing you it is very difficult to know your exact situation though.

      If the Implant is already done and the crown is on, a tissue gum graft is not going to cover over the crown on the dental implant.

      Some situations with dental implants are unrecoverable.

      Sometimes you have to extract all the implants and start all over.

      This is why excellent pre-planning and very good execution of dental implants is so important.

      Dental implants are body parts so I suggest you seek out the best person possible. It sounds like you have a very complex situation.

      Dr. Amin

      Reply
  28. Hi Dr. Ramsey.

    I had two teeth removed. Reason: infected. Broken. Bone was gone.

    My dr did “bone grafting” for him to be able to place the implants. He closed it to heel for 6/7 months. He then applied the implants.

    The implants are next to each other. They are both long. Very white. Exactly like the patient in this picture (not front teeth though, back.)

    Even though he did bone grafting. I feel that it was completely medical. And not cosmetic at all. I lost width in this area. My bone was wider. And nicer looking.

    Now when I smile. You can see long white ugly teeth. Not in rhythm with the rest of my teeth. And darkness on top of these two teeth. Due to lack of “width of bone” in this area.

    My concern is can all the width be restored? Even length of gum? And what should I say to my doctor?

    If I need to change my dentist. What specialty should I be looking for in a dentist? Is there a specific type of dentist that could fix my smile?

    Thank you,
    Meera

    Reply
    • Hi Meera,

      You likely have loss of vertical bone rather than width. As soon as the bad teeth were extracted the underlying bone loss that was hidden by your gums became much more apparent. The bone graft was likely only done to preserve what you had but not to build back to its original height.

      Once the implants are in, there is not many good options except for removing them and starting all over

      sorry for the bad news.

      Ramsey A. Amin, D.D.S.
      Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology /Implant Dentistry
      Fellow-American Academy of Implant Dentistry

      Reply

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