Gum Contouring: The process of reshaping the gum tissue around your teeth is known as gingival contouring.
Gingival contouring is a cosmetic dental treatment that can help you reinvent your smile and improve your oral health. It involves a minimally invasive laser procedure that removes and re-sculpts uneven or excessive gum tissue. However, soft tissue contouring typically necessitates bone re-contouring, which cannot be accomplished with a laser alone. The end result is healthy, natural-looking gums for a vital, youthful, and appealing smile that boosts your confidence and appeal.
Why do you need Gum Contouring:
- Contouring procedures can be performed for both cosmetic and oral health reasons, such as poor dental hygiene. Due to improper tooth brushing and the accumulation of calculus and plaque, the latter can result in the formation of deep gum pockets.
- Gummy smiles (excessive gingival display), uneven (asymmetrical) gingival contours, loss of papillae (small amounts of gum tissue between your teeth), and exposed root surfaces are all common aesthetic problems that can be corrected.
- It can also help with cosmetic issues with teeth that appear “too small” or are unusually shaped. This can happen when the gum tissue around the teeth has grown down and over a large portion of the teeth, giving the appearance of small or crooked/oddly angled teeth.
- Gum contouring removes and reshapes excess gum tissue to lift the gum line and reveal more teeth, or to even out the gum line for improved symmetry. This procedure removes excess gum tissue without leaving a deficit and only exposes the visible portion of the tooth.
The procedure of Gum Contouring:
Periodontists and cosmetic dentists are the most common providers of gingival contouring.
- The minor in-office gum contouring procedure usually requires only one hour of your time.
- Following the application of a local anesthetic to the gums, a soft tissue laser is used to trim away, re-contour, and seal the excess gum tissue.
- There is only minor discomfort, and there is no bleeding or stitching.
- More commonly, the procedure to reduce tissue and bone takes longer and requires more stitches, but it causes no pain.
Treatment Planning:
The specifics of your consultation and subsequent treatment plan are determined by the state of your gums and your contouring goals.
- During a routine checkup, for example, your dentist may notice that the tissues surrounding your teeth are receding or excessive. If this is the case, your consultation may include a discussion of gingival tissue regeneration as a means of preventing, correcting, or terminating periodontal disease.
- Your dentist may recommend a variety of treatments, including flap surgery, bone grafts, tissue grafts, gingival-colored composite build-up, and tissue stimulation.
- If you are thinking about getting veneers or a smile makeover, your dentist may tell you that the appearance of your gum line is uneven or that you have too much gum tissue (gummy smile).
- If gum tissue reduction is required, your dentist may discuss laser treatments, which require little to no healing time, or more invasive surgical options.
- Your dentist will also advise you on the healing times for the procedure you will undergo as part of your treatment planning, as well as whether local anaesthesia or sedation dentistry is required.
- However, keep in mind that some procedures, such as those used to correct minor unevenness in your gum line, may be completed without a formal treatment plan.
- With today’s dental laser technology, your dentist can discuss and treat conditions like gingival asymmetry and gummy smiles during regular visits and/or cleaning appointments. Because each case is unique, other situations may necessitate more in-depth discussion, planning, and consultation.
