Gum Contouring: Getting your Gum Issues Dealt With to Improve your Smile

A beautiful and healthy smile is more than just having healthy teeth. It is because your teeth, lips, and gums are all functioning normally. But, some people are not happy with how their gums and teeth look. This is why procedures like gum line recontouring exist. Because this procedure is not for everyone, it’s important to know when and how it might be done.

Consider the factors below:

You have a Gummy Smile

A gummy smile is when you have too much gum. You probably have a naturally occurring high lip line with a smile which shows all of your teeth and gums. Also, your gums can swell because of a bacterial infection or poor oral care. In fact, some gums can be abnormally big as a result of taking certain medications. In addition, altered passive eruption is a condition that can prevent permanent teeth from fully protruding which makes the teeth looking small and partially hidden by excess gum tissue.

You Have Gum Recession

This condition refers to when you have too little gums. This condition can usually cause more problems than a gummy smile. Aside from causing your teeth to look elongated or discolored, too little gum will expose your teeth’ roots to harmful bacteria and plaque. A gum recession can happen to the whole mouth instead of just being localized to a few teeth.

Importance of Gum Contouring

Gum contouring is a procedure that can correct an overgrowth of gum tissue.  A dentist will make use of a local anesthetic and a laser or scalpel to shape a more uniform gum line. In this procedure, pocket depths of spaces between the teeth and gums are made shallower and easier to brush clean. As a result, the new and reshaped gums are usually healthier. You can often heal from this procedure after a few weeks.

In case you need more than just simple contouring, your dentist is likely to go deeper with crown lengthening. They will remove the part of the gum and some of the underlying bone to change the teeth’s anatomy. Usually, gum recession is treated by grafting the gum tissue of the patient from a nearby tooth or part of the palate. Some oral surgeons also make use of highly processed, sterile donor tissue. The procedure is aimed at improving your smile and increasing gum coverage to protect the roots from tooth decay.  It is important to clean your gums as often as you clean your teeth to prevent serious issues from occurring.