Why Re-Contour Your Gum Line? - Lathrop Dental Center

Are people noticing your teeth when you smile or are they noticing your gums? Your smile isn’t just all teeth. Your gums are part of your smile, too. Large, bulky gums, gums that are too long, or uneven gums can take away from the esthetics of even the straightest, whitest teeth. Have you ever heard of the tooth-to-gum-ratio?  If you have too much gum showing in relation to the size of your teeth then you have a poor tooth-to-gum ratio, which can also be referred to as a gummy smile. With today’s technology it is easy to restore the proper ratio of tooth to gum by re-contouring your gum line.

The Re-Contouring Procedure

There was a time when gum contouring would be performed with a scalpel and require stitches and a long recovery period. Today, dental technology makes the procedure and the healing time faster and easier. Re-contouring is simply raising your gum line by removing excessive gingival tissue. This is done using a soft tissue laser. Your dentist will anesthetize your gingival tissue, and using the laser, reposition your gum line by melting away the tissue according to an agreed upon visual.  Benefits of using a soft tissue laser include:

Accuracy

Reduction and/or elimination of blood flow: the heat from the soft tissue laser cauterizes the blood vessels while removing the tissue

Faster healing: while in the past it could take patients up to two weeks or more to heal, today’s healing time averages 24 to 48 hours

Results

You can get rid of those short, stumpy looking teeth with just one visit and be proud to show off your new smile. Less gum tissue and more tooth makes for an aesthetically pleasing smile, and remember, your smile is the first thing that people notice.