What is cosmetic gum surgery?

Your gum tissue is like a frame that provides form and shape to the top of your tooth. A less than attractive smile results when the integrity of the gum is compromised or the actual gum between your teeth becomes weak. Usually due to poor hygiene (gum disease), you actually begin to lose gum tissue. Cosmetic dentistry provides many cosmetic solutions such as composite resin bonding, crowns, and veneers to create a great smile. These solutions are usually part of an overall strategy which may involve cosmetic gum surgery. Used to correct a 'gummy smile' (a significant portion of your gum is exposed when you smile), cosmetic gum surgery is the procedure of lengthening your teeth from the neck of the tooth upwards. Your teeth then appear to be longer and much less gum is seen when you smile.

The "Long in the Tooth" Smile - Cosmetic gum surgery, or periodontal plastic surgery, can correct almost any deformity or gingival problems preventing you from a beautiful smile. As we age, our gums may shrink and recede which makes our teeth look longer. While this is often age-related, it can also occur due to a bad bite. A cosmetic dentist or a periodontist can correct this to such an extent, that you'll have a very youthful appearing smile.

The "Gummy Smile" - This is a problem where your teeth appear to be too short. Gum sculpting is often the solution. To solve this, a dentist uses a laser to remove the excess tissue of your "gummy" smile, which then exposes more of your tooth.



Immediate and permanent results

Are you worried that too much gum is showing when you smile? Do you feel that you show too much gum when you smile? Is you gum line very uneven or receding? If so, then gum reshaping (or contouring) could be for you. With gum reshaping, these problems can be easily resolved either as a standalone treatment or in combination with other treatments such as dental implants or veneers. Using a specialist laser that seals the gum as they go along your cosmetic dentist is now able to restore the balance of your smile.



How soon will I see a difference?

Following gum reshaping the results are immediate although your gums maybe a little swollen and sore. Full recovery can range from a few days upto a few weeks which will depend on how invasive the gum reshaping treatment was. If a large amount of the gum has to be removed, it will take longer to recover as it it may have been necessary for your cosmetic dentist to cut some of the bone to prevent the gum from growing back. If this is the case your cosmetic dentist may need to use a scalpel or drill to extract bone and this will obviously be more painful.