Recontouring Gums

Healthy looking, properly positioned gums can create a tremendous impact on your smile. The gums serve the same purpose as the frame of a photograph. A poor frame may spoil a beautiful picture. Similarly gums that rest too high or too low on your teeth may affect your smile. Gum Recontouring or Reshaping is a cosmetic procedure that evens out an uneven gum line thus improving your oral health and reinventing your smile.

Causes of Uneven Gum

There could be a several reasons for an uneven gum line. When the gums cover a large portion of your teeth, they make your teeth appear small. This could be due to prescription medicines, genetics or a specific health problem. If the gums are too high, they make your teeth appear longer a condition known as gum recession. This can also lead to periodontal disease or tooth decay and ultimately tooth loss.

Who needs Gum Recontouring?

Gum recontouring is mostly performed for cosmetic reasons to improve the aesthetic value of your smile but in some cases it is also done to improve oral hygiene. Due to poor oral hygiene and improper brushing, plaque and calculus may get accumulated where the tooth meets the gum resulting in the formation of gum pockets. Gum Reshaping is often done as part of periodontal procedures, pocket reduction, crown lengthening or other regenerative procedures.

Procedure

Gingival Sculpting or Gum Recontouring is generally performed as an in-office procedure by periodontists or cosmetic dentists. Typically it requires only a single visit and can be completed in a hour or two. A soft tissue laser is used to trim away or re- contour or seal excess gum tissue. This is done under the effect of local anesthesia applied to the gums and is minimally invasive. There are no associated stitches or bleeding and you feel only a minor discomfort. Sometimes in order to get long term benefits from gum recontouring, the bone at the front of the tooth root needs to be removed.

Recovery and Aftercare

The healing time depends on the type of procedure you have undergone to reshape your gums. In general, you might experience minor swelling and discomfort after the procedure that can be relieved using over the counter pain medications. In case of bone recontouring or grafts, you might have to take rest and limit physical activity to prevent stitches from reopening the surgery site. You may be put on a diet of soft foods and liquids for a few days and given medication to relieve pain and prevent infection.

Advantages

  • Laser recontouring is safe, fast and painless.
  • It seals and sterilizes the area thus reducing the chances of infection and promotes faster healing.
  • It provides greater precision thus protecting surrounding tissue.
  • Improves appearance and boosts self confidence.

Risks

No surgical procedure is without risks. Gum recontouring is also has some risks associated with it such as

  • Allergic reaction to anesthesia
  • Gum Swelling and discomfort
  • Gum Bleeding
  • Infection at treatment site

Hence it is important to talk to your dentist about the risks and what you expect of the procedure before you undergo treatment. For more details, visit our clinic and talk to one of our dentists.