Can a Denture Be Lengthened Under the Front Lip?

It is a fact of nature that, over time, dentures will eventually begin to disappear under one's lips as the bones in the jaw deteriorate, forcing the upper dentures to rest on the floor of the mouth. This raises the denture higher under the upper lip and actually decreases the space between the tip of the nose and bottom of the chin, greatly altering the face's shape.

Changes in The Lips

• In addition, the upper lips often become much thinner after dentures are implanted due to the poor support. Once this happens, the only real way for a dentist to widen one's smile again would be to increase the size of new dentures when replacing the old set.

How It May be Done

• Some cosmetic dental surgeons may be able to achieve the impression with a denture lengthen lip procedure similar to one used to correct overly "gummy" smiles. This involves removing some of the gum tissue in order to "elongate" the teeth. The negative aspect is that there may already be too much gum shrinkage, thus preventing the surgeon from being able to stitch the lips to the gums, in order to prevent muscles in the mouth from showing too much of the gum line.

Unconventional Methods

• Denture implant lip improvement may also be achieved through a front lip implant that uses the patient's own body fat (or other commercial products), and it's more permanent than collagen filler injections, which generally last a few months.