Your gums may not look as healthy and beautiful as you would like for a variety of reasons. In some cases, you may suffer from a “gummy smile” which causes your teeth to look quite short. Or perhaps your gumline is uneven, resulting in an asymmetrical smile. In the case of disease, periodontitis may result in gum recession and gum pockets, causing an unsightly appearance and reduced tooth protection. If you wish to address your gumline, our periodontist may reshape your gum tissue with gum contouring.
What Is Gum Contouring?
Gum contouring is a surgical procedure during which our on-staff periodontist will use a laser to redesign the shape of your gumline. He will apply a local anesthetic and use a diode laser, rather than a scalpel, to skillfully correct your issue. In the case of a gummy smile, he will remove excess gum tissue to expose a greater portion of your teeth for a lengthened effect.
However, if you suffer from periodontal disease, he may contour your gums by lengthening the gumline. During periodontal disease, as your gum tissue becomes inflamed, it pulls away from your teeth, exposing your roots. Appropriate contouring includes a gum graft, which utilizes healthy tissue from your palate or neighboring gum tissue, to repair your recessed gums.
What Are the Benefits of Gum Contouring?
Gum contouring offers a variety of benefits, depending on your reason for undergoing the procedure. Take a look at some advantages of choosing gum contouring:
- Transforms a “gummy smile” into a smile with well-proportioned teeth
- Corrects an uneven gumline for a symmetrical smile
- Repairs gums damaged as a result of periodontal disease, for a restored smile and protective coverage of teeth roots
- The diode laser, used by your periodontist, will cauterize as it works, thereby reducing bleeding and healing time
- Diode lasers offer antiseptic properties, which reduce your chance of post-procedural infection
- Laser gum contouring offers greater precision and control, when compared with manual tools
Do I Make A Good Candidate?
Does your smile and gumline dissatisfy you? Have you experienced the damaging effects of periodontal disease and wish to recontour your gumline to protect your roots and improve the aesthetics of your smile? Whatever your concern, you will likely make a wonderful candidate for gum contouring. We will discuss your goals, examine your mouth, and ask about your past and current health status to decide whether your health is satisfactory to undergo treatment.
