The perception of aesthetics is undoubtedly an individual matter; however, in dentistry, aesthetics combines health, function, and beauty into one inseparable whole. In the past, considerable attention was devoted to white aesthetics and the imitation of hard dental tissues. Zirconia, lithium disilicate, adhesive technologies, and various types of tooth preparations have brought human knowledge to its current peak. The imitation is now almost perfect; technologies continue to evolve, but no fundamental change appears to be on the horizon. This may also be why, in recent years, there has been increased interest in soft tissues and, not least, in their aesthetics.

In this lecture, the author will focus on the knowledge he has gathered over approximately the past 20 years of working in this field. He will guide the audience from basic anatomical information through the fundamentals of various soft-tissue management techniques to their clinical application and current state of the art. He will also address their relationship to prosthetic and composite reconstruction, demonstrate the limitations of these techniques, and, of course, present failures, which often provide the greatest lessons.