"Armchair" diagnosis and cosmetic dentistry treatment plan.

• History: This person's smile displays an irregular gum line, one which makes teeth #'s 2, 3, and 4 appear short. One would normally expect the gum line on these teeth to be more in line with that found on tooth #1.
  
  
• Cosmetic dentistry treatment plan: Reposition the gums (this procedure is sometimes referred to as "gum sculpting") around teeth #'s 2, 3, and 4 so a larger portion of these teeth is revealed.
  
  
• Step 1: Perform the gum sculpting (a minor surgical procedure). Since teeth are usually bilaterally symmetrical in size and shape, tooth #4 will probably end up looking similar in appearance to tooth #1 after the gum reshaping. The final appearance of teeth #'s 2 and 3 might be comparable to our "after" picture, but the "real life" results would simply be dependent upon the actual shape of the teeth.
  
  
• Step 2: Reshape the biting edge of the lower teeth (in just a few minutes using a dental drill) so to make them more regular and even in appearance.