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It is incumbent upon our profession to reevaluate our preference for routinely replacing a missing single maxillary incisor, especially a maxillary lateral incisor, with a dental implant in a young adult. The dental literature is replete with beautiful restorative results using implants in this area, but there is minimal discussion regarding the long-term consequences of this treatment. The maxillary lateral incisor is one of the most commonly missing teeth due to agenesis, and it is also one of the most common teeth to be lost due to trauma in the developing child.1 Therefore, the decision for replacement must be made with the long-term in mind, as these restorations are commonly placed between ages 18 and 21 and must serve the patient for many decades.

There continues to be a tremendous amount of confusion in the dental literature and among practitioners regarding the diagnosis and treatment of gingival discontinuities. The purpose of this article is to present a rationale for gingival recontouring, illustrated by a case report. A patient requested gingival recontouring. Because the preoperative evaluation was inadequate, a simple gingivectomy procedure was performed. After healing, the tissue had rebounded to its preoperative levels. The patient was then evaluated more comprehensively, and gingival recontouring was accomplished with a mucoperiosteal flap and osseous recontouring. The tissue subsequently healed at the correct position and remained stable. To reliably perform gingival recontouring procedures, the dentist must have a clear understanding of the biologic width. By using diagnostic bone sounding, the practitioner can determine the appropriate surgical procedure that will ensure an esthetic and stable postoperative result.