The short version
- Teeth that look small are often the right size with gum covering them.
- A soft tissue laser reshapes the gum line, usually in under an hour.
- The laser vaporizes tissue rather than cutting, and seals as it goes.
- The tissue removed has no functional role, so the teeth are not harmed.
- It is permanent, and it is frequently combined with veneers.
- Appointment
- Under an hour
- Instrument
- Soft tissue laser
- Anesthetic
- Local, if needed
- Permanent
- Yes
Some smiles look wrong for a reason that has nothing to do with the teeth. The teeth are the right size and shape, and the gum is sitting too low over them.
Gum contouring, also called gingival contouring, reshapes the gum line. It is permanent.
What it treats
A gummy smile. Too much gum showing when you smile. Removing the excess tissue balances the proportion between gum and tooth.
Teeth that look small. Usually they are not small. Excess tissue is covering part of the tooth, and taking it away reveals the hidden portion. The tooth was that size all along, which is the discovery patients find most surprising.
An uneven gum line. Gum sitting at different heights over adjacent teeth makes those teeth read as uneven even when their edges are level. Contouring evens the line so the teeth look uniform.
Gum affected by poor hygiene, such as plaque accumulating on the gum through bad brushing habits.
Where the underlying bone is part of the problem, contouring is sometimes combined with bone contouring.
What the appointment involves
A soft tissue laser does the work, usually in under an hour. A local anesthetic keeps you comfortable.
The laser does not cut or burn the tissue. It vaporizes it by breaking down the cellular connection, and it seals and sterilizes as it goes, which limits bleeding and reduces the risk of infection afterwards. It can also destroy bacteria trapped in the gum.
The result is visible immediately. The tissue settles over the following days.
Whether removing gum tissue is safe
The tissue taken away has no functional role. Removing it does not harm the teeth.
The planning matters more than the removal. Because the change is permanent, how much comes away and what contour replaces it is decided in advance against the face, not improvised in the chair.
Where it fits in a larger case
Gum contouring often comes up during a smile makeover rather than on its own.
Where the teeth are also crooked, stained or uneven, contouring is combined with veneers so the gum line and the teeth are designed together. That is the point of planning a case as one result: the gum line is part of how a smile reads, not the frame around it.
The six measurements that govern this, gingival architecture among them, are in how a smile is designed. What else a makeover can include is in what a smile makeover includes.
Booking a consultation
Sarasota Smile Design is on Clark Road in Sarasota, a short drive from Nokomis, Osprey and Venice. Open Monday to Thursday, 8am to 4pm.
Call 941-927-5411, or see smile makeovers.
