Cosmetic Periodontal Surgery
in Turnersville, NJ
 Cosmetic periodontal surgery at Periodontal Health Professionals in Turnersville, NJ is led by board-certified periodontist Dr. Gail Childers, the same specialist who treats patients at our Marlton location during the rest of the week.
Patients in Washington Township, Sewell, Sicklerville, and the surrounding Gloucester County area can now have cosmetic gum work handled at our Turnersville office at 900 Route 168, Suite B-6, with Tuesday and Thursday appointment availability.
Cosmetic perio surgery improves how your gums frame your teeth. The procedures address concerns like a gummy smile, gum recession that has exposed root surfaces, an uneven gum line that draws the eye when you smile, or short-looking teeth that need crown lengthening to look proportionate. Some patients come in pursuing aesthetic improvements directly; others arrive as referrals from a cosmetic dentist who needs the gum architecture set up before veneers, crowns, or implants go in.
The full scope of periodontal services we offer at both locations includes the cosmetic work covered on this page as well as gum disease care, dental implants, and regenerative procedures. For patients closer to Marlton or coming in from Burlington and Camden counties, the same cosmetic perio work is also available at our Marlton cosmetic periodontal surgery location.
On This Page
What Cosmetic Periodontal Surgery Addresses
Cosmetic perio surgery is a category, not a single procedure. It covers different concerns about how your gums frame your teeth, and the right approach varies case by case. The concerns we hear about most often:
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Gummy smile – The gums show prominently when you smile, making teeth look shorter than they actually are. More on this concern is on our gummy smile treatment options page.
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Gum recession – The gums have pulled back from one or more teeth, exposing root surfaces and making the affected teeth look longer than their neighbors. The gum recession treatment page covers the condition in more depth.
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Uneven gum line – The gum height varies tooth to tooth in a way that's visible when you smile. Gingival contouring is usually the right fix.
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Teeth that look short or worn-down – Often a case where the gums extend over more of the tooth than they should. Crown lengthening reveals more tooth structure for a balanced look, or to support a planned crown or veneer.
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Pre-restorative gum work – Veneer, crown, and implant cases sometimes need perio work first to get the gum line right before final restorations. |
Most patients come in focused on one primary concern but discover during consultation that a related issue is contributing to the overall look. Someone bothered by a gummy smile may also have one tooth where the gum sits higher than its neighbors. Someone planning porcelain veneers may need crown lengthening on a few teeth so the lab has enough tooth structure to work with. We focus on what's relevant to your case rather than recommending procedures across the board.
If active gum disease is part of the picture, that comes first. Cosmetic perio surgery depends on healthy gum tissue and stable bone, which means treating any underlying periodontitis before cosmetic work begins. Cases involving active periodontitis usually start on the Turnersville gum disease treatment side before moving to the cosmetic plan.
Procedures We Offer
 Four procedures cover most cosmetic perio cases. Dr. Childers walks through which one (or which combination) fits your case at consultation, with reference to actual before-and-after examples on our Smile Gallery.
Gingival Contouring
Gingival contouring reshapes the gum line so it sits at even, balanced heights across your teeth. This is the most common cosmetic perio procedure for gummy smile correction and for cases where one or two teeth look short because the gum is positioned too low on them. Depending on the case, we use traditional surgical reshaping or laser-assisted methods.
Crown Lengthening
Crown lengthening removes a controlled amount of gum tissue, and sometimes underlying bone, so more of the tooth above the gum line is exposed. The cosmetic version creates better tooth-to-gum proportions; the restorative version gives crowns, veneers, or onlays enough tooth structure to attach to securely. Many cases are a mix of both.
Gum Grafting
Gum grafting addresses gum recession by transplanting tissue from another area of your mouth, or using donor material, to cover the exposed root surface. The cosmetic outcome is a more even gum line and teeth that no longer look unusually long compared to their neighbors. The functional benefit is reduced root sensitivity and protection against further recession.
Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique
The Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique is a minimally invasive alternative to traditional gum grafting for recession cases. Through small pinhole-sized entry points, we gently reposition the existing gum tissue to cover exposed roots and place collagen strips to hold the new position. There are no scalpels or sutures, and Dr. Childers holds Certification in the technique – one of the considerations when patients ask about less invasive options.
Where the procedure happens depends on the case. We handle most cosmetic perio work at our Turnersville office. For cases that involve combined cosmetic and complex surgical work, or that benefit from CBCT planning or X-Guide implant navigation, we may schedule the procedure at our Marlton office where the additional equipment is housed. We tell you which office fits your specific plan at consultation.
Your Cosmetic Periodontal Specialist
Dr. Gail Childers is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, the credential earned by completing a three-year periodontics residency after dental school and passing the board's certifying examination. His faculty appointments at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University, along with the rest of his clinical background, are on the Dr. Gail Childers bio page.
Patients in Gloucester County see the same Dr. Childers at our Turnersville office on Tuesdays and Thursdays as the patients who come to our Marlton office the rest of the week. The advantage on this side of the metro is access – you no longer need to drive to Burlington County for board-certified cosmetic perio care from a periodontist who has spent 30 years focused exclusively on periodontics and dental implants.
For cosmetic perio specifically, a few credentials matter. Dr. Childers holds Certification in the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique, the minimally invasive approach for treating gum recession through small pinhole-sized entry points. He uses laser-assisted techniques for gum recontouring, which can produce less post-operative swelling than traditional surgery in suitable cases. He's also a Fellow of the International Team of Implantology, a credential that matters for cosmetic cases involving future or existing implant work.
The aesthetic side of perio surgery rewards experience – how much gum to remove or how little, how a graft will mature over six months, how the tissue around an adjacent veneer will behave. Those calls improve with case volume, which is where Dr. Childers's depth of specialty practice translates into a meaningful difference at the chair.
Your Cosmetic Consultation and Treatment
 Your cosmetic consultation is with Dr. Childers directly. He looks at the gum architecture, the underlying bone, the proportions between your teeth and gums, and how the gum line frames your smile when you talk and laugh. We use digital impressions and clinical photos to model what the result will look like before any treatment decision.
For patients arriving as referrals from a general or cosmetic dentist in the Washington Township or Camden County area, we coordinate directly with the referring office throughout. Cosmetic perio work usually sits in the middle of a larger sequence: gum disease treatment first (if needed), then the cosmetic gum procedure, then the final restorative work like veneers or crowns. We confirm the timing with the restorative team so each piece supports the next.
We complete most cosmetic perio procedures in a single appointment with local anesthesia at our Turnersville office. Gingival contouring and crown lengthening visits typically run 60 to 90 minutes. Gum grafting and pinhole technique visits run longer. Aftercare for the first week involves soft foods, gentle brushing around the treated area, and avoiding anything that could disturb the new gum position. Most patients return to normal activities the same day or the next.
The cosmetic result matures over time. For gum reshaping, you'll see the final contour within two to three weeks. For grafting and pinhole work, the tissue continues to mature over several months as the new attachment integrates with the surrounding gum.
Benefits of Cosmetic Periodontal Surgery
The most direct benefit is the visible cosmetic improvement – a more balanced, proportional gum line that frames your teeth the way you'd want them to look. Most patients notice the change immediately after recovery, with the final settled appearance arriving over the following weeks or months as the tissue fully matures. Dr. Childers leans toward conservative results that look natural rather than obvious, which is generally what patients are after.
For patients planning veneers, crowns, or other restorative work, cosmetic perio surgery often unlocks the final result. A veneer case where the gum line is uneven would never look right without first leveling the gums; a crown that needs more tooth structure to grip securely sometimes depends on prior crown lengthening. Many of our cosmetic perio patients in the Washington Township and Gloucester County area arrive as multi-step plans that we coordinate with the patient's general or cosmetic dentist, timing the perio work so the final restorations land on stable, healed tissue.
Treating gum recession through grafting or the pinhole technique brings functional benefits alongside the aesthetic ones. Exposed root surfaces are sensitive to temperature and more prone to decay than enamel-protected surfaces; covering them improves comfort, reduces sensitivity, and protects long-term oral health. For patients leaning toward the pinhole approach, Dr. Childers's Certification in the technique matters – it's a relatively specialized procedure that not every periodontist has been trained to perform. Recession that's treated tends not to progress further once we've re-established the gum line.
There's also the convenience side of having this work available in Turnersville. Patients in Gloucester County, Washington Township, and surrounding towns no longer need to make the drive into Burlington County for board-certified cosmetic perio care. Dr. Childers handles consultations and most procedures at this office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Why Choose Our Practice for Cosmetic Perio
A few things shape how cosmetic perio surgery works at our Turnersville office. The first is access for Gloucester County patients. Our practice operates from two locations – Marlton and Turnersville – so patients in Washington Township, Sewell, Sicklerville, and surrounding towns can see a board-certified periodontist without leaving the area, with the same specialist and same treatment standards at both.
The second is specialist focus. Dr. Childers has practiced periodontics and dental implants exclusively for 30 years, not as part of a general dental practice where cosmetic perio is one of many services. That depth of experience translates directly into the case-by-case judgment that cosmetic outcomes depend on.
The third is technique range. Traditional surgical gingival contouring, laser-assisted reshaping, traditional gum grafting, and the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique are all options across our practice, and Dr. Childers holds Certification in the Chao Pinhole approach specifically. Having the full range of techniques means we can match the procedure to the case rather than forcing one approach to fit everything.
The fourth is collaboration with restorative dentists. Many of our cosmetic perio patients arrive as referrals from general or cosmetic dentists in the Washington Township area planning veneer, crown, or implant cases. We communicate back with the referring office throughout treatment, share imaging and notes, and time each piece so the final restorative result is what the patient and the restorative dentist had in mind.
The imaging, ultrasonic, and PRP/PRF systems described on our Advanced Technology page support cosmetic perio cases across both Turnersville and Marlton, with more equipment-intensive procedures scheduled at Marlton when the case calls for it.
Cost and Payment Options for Cosmetic Perio
Cost matters, and cosmetic perio surgery is one area where being straightforward up front pays off. Most insurance plans treat purely cosmetic gum procedures as elective and don't cover them. Some exceptions: gum grafting that's medically necessary because recession has caused root sensitivity or bone exposure is often covered in part. Crown lengthening as part of a restorative case (preparing for a crown or bridge) is often partly covered too. Purely cosmetic cases like gingival contouring just for appearance tend to be out-of-pocket.
After your consultation, we give you an itemized estimate of what each piece of the plan costs and which (if any) portions your insurance may cover. For patients without insurance or with limited cosmetic coverage, we offer discount programs and payment plans for qualifying situations – more on our insurance and financing options.
Schedule a Cosmetic Consultation in Turnersville
If you've been considering cosmetic gum work, the consultation is the first practical step. We'll review your case and walk through what cosmetic perio surgery can and can't do for your situation. Call us at (856) 702-4340 or request an appointment online. Our Turnersville office is at 900 Route 168, Suite B-6, Turnersville, NJ 08012. We see patients there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For questions before booking, our Contact page is the easiest way to reach us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get cosmetic gum work done at the Turnersville office, or do I need to go to Marlton?
Most cosmetic perio procedures happen at our Turnersville office. For cases that involve combined cosmetic and complex surgical work, or that benefit from CBCT imaging or X-Guide implant navigation, the procedure itself may be scheduled at our Marlton office where that equipment is housed – though the consultation and follow-up visits can still happen in Turnersville to save you the drive. We'll lay out the scheduling logistics at your consultation so the plan is clear before any work begins.
Will my gums look natural after cosmetic gum surgery?
In most cases, yes – that's the goal. Subtle, balanced improvements that look like your gums always sat that way tend to come from conservative procedures executed by a periodontist with cosmetic experience. After 30 years of cases, Dr. Childers's bias leans conservative – the cases that end up looking worked on usually come from over-correction, which is part of why honest case-by-case judgment matters more than the volume of tissue moved.
Does insurance cover cosmetic periodontal surgery?
Most insurance plans don't cover purely cosmetic gum procedures, but exceptions exist. Gum grafting that's medically necessary (root sensitivity, bone exposure) is often covered in part. Crown lengthening done as preparation for a restorative crown or bridge is often partly covered too. Our front desk reviews your specific plan before treatment and verifies what's covered with your insurance carrier so the financial picture is clear up front. More on our insurance and financing options.
How comfortable is the procedure and how long is recovery?
Cosmetic perio procedures are done with local anesthesia, and most patients describe the appointment itself as comfortable – some pressure but not pain. Recovery varies by procedure: gingival contouring and laser-assisted reshaping usually heal within one to two weeks, while gum grafting and pinhole procedures involve about a week of careful eating and gentle brushing, with full tissue maturation over several months. Most patients return to work and normal activities the next day. For Gloucester County patients, the Turnersville location means less drive time during the recovery week.
How long do cosmetic results last?
Most cosmetic perio results are long-lasting or permanent. Gum recontouring is stable once the tissue has fully healed. Gum grafting and pinhole results integrate over several months and then hold their position long-term. Crown lengthening is permanent – the tissue and bone removed don't grow back. Behaviors that contributed to recession in the first place (aggressive brushing, untreated gum disease, bite issues) can still cause new problems over time, so Dr. Childers's recommendation is regular periodontal maintenance visits and attention to brushing technique to keep cosmetic results stable long-term.
Can cosmetic gum work be combined with veneers, crowns, or implants?
Yes, and the perio work usually comes first. The position of your gums shapes how restorations look once they're placed, so the gum work needs to be done and healed before the final crowns or veneers are made – otherwise the lab is making restorations to match a gum line that's about to change. Typical sequence: cosmetic perio surgery, then 4 to 8 weeks of healing depending on procedure, then impressions and final restorations from your restorative dentist.
Why see a periodontist for this instead of a cosmetic dentist?
Periodontists are the specialty trained in surgical procedures involving gum tissue and bone. The clinical skills used in cosmetic perio – precise tissue removal, predictable graft outcomes, judgment about how tissue will mature – are the same skills used in periodontal disease treatment, applied to aesthetic goals. Many cosmetic dentists refer their gum-architecture cases to a periodontist for this reason. Dr. Childers also holds Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique Certification, which adds a minimally invasive recession option that many general practices can't offer.
What are the Turnersville office's hours for cosmetic consultations?
Our Turnersville office at 900 Route 168 is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Tuesday extended hours accommodate patients who keep standard daytime work schedules. For appointments outside those windows, our Marlton office is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. |
