Gum Contouring to Reveal a Beautiful Smile

Uneven gum lines, as well as high and low gum lines can drastically affect the beauty of our smiles. Even if a patient has perfect teeth, an unattractive gum line may cause a patient to feel less secure or confident in his or her smile. Fortunately, modern dental techniques can create a gum line that is properly proportioned and perfectly even.

Gum reshaping, also referred to as gum contouring, uses a soft tissue laser to strip away excess gum tissue. Our Idaho Falls office also performs procedures to add to a patient’s gum line in instances where the gums are too high up from the teeth.

Gingival Contouring Procedure

Gingival contouring, or gingival sculpting, is a procedure that reshapes the gum tissue around your teeth. This contouring procedure can be done for either cosmetic or oral health reasons. When it’s done for oral health, it’s typically a result of poor dental hygiene that results in the formation of deep gum pockets. The pockets form when people don’t brush their teeth properly and accumulate excess plaque.

For cosmetic reasons, patients seek gum reshaping when they feel like their smile has too much gum showing, commonly referred to as “big teeth, little gums.”

The gum reshaping procedure itself will vary depending on whether the patient’s goal is to reduce or augment gum tissue. In instances where the patient needs minor gum contouring, it’s a simple in-office procedure. For more complicated cases where tissue or bone is being removed, there may be stitches involved, but it’s still a painless procedure.

What Makes a Good Candidate for Gum Reshaping?

Gingival contouring is beneficial for anyone looking for an instant confidence boost. For patients that experience shyness when the camera comes out at social functions, gum reshaping can help encourage them to smile more and feel better about their appearance. Oxford Dental Care loves providing these types of cosmetic procedures. You can see more of our cosmetic options here.

When gums cover too much or not enough of someone’s teeth, it can create an asymmetry that although superficial, can make a patient feel less attractive or beautiful. Having the right amount of symmetry and distance between our teeth and gum lines can make us feel better about our appearance and our smiles.

For patients with oral health concerns, gum reshaping can be crucial to improve their health. Gums that recede, for example, can allow harmful plaque and bacteria to enter and settle into our mouths that can ultimately lead to decay and tooth loss.

Often times, if the desired results cannot be accomplished by simply changing the gum line, patients will opt for a combination of multiple procedures.

Request a Consultation

To find out if this procedure is right for you, you can request a consultation with our Idaho Falls dental office. Dr. Drew will examine your gums and recommend a plan that will have you smiling in no time! Contact our office today at (208)529-0420, or click the button below to request your consultation.