Gum Contouring Helps Boost Smile Beauty

Woman With Healthy Gums Smiling Up Close

If you have a gummy smile or a smile with too much gum appearance, it can make your smile appear uneven and cause many insecurities with your smile. Cosmetic dentists can provide gum contouring to give patients a more attractive smile that’s uniquely theirs, as gum contouring boosts the smile’s beauty by reshaping the gum line. In today’s blog, we will discuss gum contouring, how it works, and how it may benefit you. 

How Gum Contouring Helps Boost Smile Beauty

Gum contouring is a cosmetic procedure that changes your gum’s shape. This procedure removes excessive gummy tissues and helps reshape them back to a more natural appearance. While this procedure is considered optional in some cases, some dentists may recommend gum contouring for their patient’s health. For some patients with a gummy smile, the gums may interfere with their ability to brush and floss their teeth effectively, posing a higher risk of developing gum disease and tooth decay. Other health concerns, such as periodontal disease, may contribute to a gummy smile or cause a gummy smile, and it’s essential to tackle the effects of periodontal disease before receiving gummy smile treatment. 

In other cases, it’s a purely cosmetic choice, as many people with tooth problems may experience insecurities about their smile affecting their mental health. Gummy smiles often hide the tooth’s crown, making the smile appear smaller than it actually is. These effects can cause problems with a person’s appearance and even contribute to poor oral hygiene due to difficulties brushing and flossing, leading to a circulating problem of poor oral health and insecurity. 

As a solution to this problem, gum contouring can help remove the excess gums and give you back your confidence. During your appointment with your cosmetic dentist, they will observe your current oral health and diagnose your gummy smile. From there, your cosmetic dentist will remove and reshape your gums at your following appointment through the following steps:

  • Gum Contour Planning: Before your scheduled procedure, your cosmetic dentist will outline a plan, describing and focusing on the areas to be removed or reshaped throughout your mouth so that you may know what to expect. 
  • Local Anesthesia: Before the procedure begins at your scheduled appointment, your dentist will administer local anesthesia to the gum tissues to numb the areas. 
  • Soft Tissue Laser: Once thoroughly numbed, they will use a soft tissue laser to reshape and remove excess gum tissues from your mouth. 
  • Sutures and Recovery: Once the laser portion of the procedure is complete, they will suture areas loose and provide you with post-operation instructions to help you recover. 

Talk To Our Dentists At Summit Dental Group About Gum Contouring

Our team can help inform you about gum contouring and provide many ways for you to care for your oral health. At Summit Dental Group, Dr. Brian Schowengerdt and his team can offer comprehensive dental care in Lees Summit, MO, for his patients and offer the most affordable solutions for their oral health. If you want to learn more about cosmetic procedures, schedule an appointment today at (816) 524-3535.