ATTENTION VA BEACH PATIENTS:
Our new location is 837 First Colonial Road, VA Beach, VA 23451
Wearing a denture or preparing for dental implants should feel like a step toward comfort and confidence, not a source of ongoing frustration. When the tissue lining the mouth is too shallow, or the muscle attachments sit too close to the gumline, even a well-fitted prosthesis can slip, rub, or fail to stay in place. This kind of soft tissue limitation is more common than most patients realize, and it can turn everyday activities like eating and speaking into a daily struggle.
At Goodove Oral Surgery & Dental Implants, we help patients throughout Virginia Beach address this exact issue through vestibuloplasty, a procedure designed to reshape the oral vestibule and create a healthier foundation for a denture, partial, or implant-supported restoration. As a hometown oral surgery practice, our team takes the time to understand each patient’s anatomy and goals before recommending any surgical solution, and we build every treatment plan around long-term comfort rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Vestibuloplasty is a surgical procedure that deepens the vestibule, which is the fold of soft tissue between the cheek or lip and the gums. When this space is too shallow, muscle attachments can pull on the denture or implant site every time the patient talks, chews, or smiles, leading to soreness, instability, and premature wear on the prosthesis. By repositioning the soft tissue and, in some cases, adding a graft, we create a deeper, more stable vestibule and a broader band of firm, keratinized tissue that can better withstand the pressure of a removable or fixed restoration.
This procedure is most often recommended as part of pre-prosthetic surgery, meaning it prepares the mouth for the next stage of treatment rather than serving as a standalone fix. Patients who have experienced significant bone loss, long-term denture wear, or previous oral surgery are frequently good candidates, since these factors tend to reduce vestibular depth over time. Dr. Scott Goodove, Dr. Peter Zagursky, and Dr. Sam Fowler evaluate each case individually, using detailed imaging to determine whether vestibuloplasty alone will meet a patient’s needs or whether it should be paired with additional bone grafting for the strongest possible outcome.
Patients typically pursue vestibuloplasty because their current prosthesis is uncomfortable, unstable, or difficult to keep clean, and those problems tend to compound rather than resolve on their own. A shallow vestibule can also complicate future treatment, particularly for patients hoping to move forward with dental implants, since implant sites benefit from the same firm, well-supported tissue that dentures require. Addressing the vestibule early often makes later stages of treatment more predictable and comfortable.
Common reasons we recommend vestibuloplasty include:
Once we identify one or more of these concerns, we walk patients through exactly how the procedure will improve their specific situation, so there are no surprises going into surgery. Research published through the National Institutes of Health has found that vestibuloplasty performed alongside implant placement can meaningfully increase both vestibular depth and the amount of supportive keratinized tissue, which supports better long-term outcomes for the restoration.
Every vestibuloplasty at our practice begins with a thorough consultation, including a review of the patient’s dental and medical history and, when needed, three-dimensional imaging of the jaw. This planning stage allows us to select the surgical technique, whether that involves repositioning existing tissue or incorporating a graft, that will give the patient the deepest and most stable vestibule possible for their anatomy.
The surgery itself is performed under local anesthesia or sedation, depending on the complexity of the case and the patient’s comfort level. We carefully separate the soft tissue from the underlying muscle attachments, reposition it to create a deeper vestibule, and, if a graft is needed, secure it in place before closing the surgical site.
Recovery generally involves mild swelling and tenderness for several days, and we provide detailed post-surgical instructions to help patients heal smoothly and protect the new tissue while it stabilizes. Most patients can return to a denture or move toward implant placement once the surgical site has fully healed, and our team stays closely involved throughout that process to confirm everything is progressing as expected.
Because we are locally owned and operated, our doctors have the flexibility to build every treatment plan around what is best for each patient. That means a vestibuloplasty recommendation from our experienced surgical team comes from a genuine understanding of the patient’s history, goals, and long-term oral health, not a generic checklist.
If you are dealing with a denture that will not stay put or you are preparing for dental implants and want the strongest possible foundation, we invite you to contact our Virginia Beach office to schedule a consultation and find out whether vestibuloplasty is the right next step for you.
Office Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Friday: 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
