Daryl E. Malena DDS  Periodontics
10838 Old Mill Road
Omaha, Nebraska 68154
402 330 4100

Teeth can be too short and they can be too long, sometimes they can be both within the same smile.  Most cases of "long teeth" are the result of gingival recession where the gums have moved in the apical direction revealing the root surface which is often quite sensitive to air and cold water.  This can be the result of hard tooth brushes, trauma (chewing tobacco is a major problem) or the pull of a frenum or muscle in your mouth, but most cases are the result of not having enough gingiva on the facial side of the teeth.  

This lack of "attached gingiva" is partially genetic.  It is related to tooth size, the amount of gingiva your body created and the position the teeth were in when they appeared in your mouth. Teeth that were crowded to the outside during growth often miss the gums that they were intended to erupt through, leaving them with only lip or cheek tissue on one side.  Recession typically follows later. 

A textbook might describe three or four methods to add gingiva back to a tooth, but Dr. Malena's lectures describe about twenty methods.  The most appropriate procedure for each tooth can only be determined by careful examination and consideration of the treatment objectives.  Sometimes the objective is to simply stop future recession.  In other cases it it to cover up exposed root surface. Sometimes the objective also includes matching the color of the gingiva to the surrounding area. 

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