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Nov 18, 2022
A perfect smile usually comes from the heart, but the beauty of your teeth and gums add an appeal to it. If your gums peek out from under the lips when you smile, you may feel a bit embarrassed and refrain from flashing your smile. It can have an adverse effect on your personality and relationships.
You have a gummy smile when your gums are overtly visible while smiling because of a low gum line. It can also be high or uneven in some individuals because of other ailments. If an irregular gum line affects your self-esteem and interferes with your social interactions, you can get it rectified with the help of gum contouring.
Also known as gum reshaping or gingival sculpting, the cosmetic dental treatment ensures that you have the best smile and that your gums do not interfere with your bite. Let us understand this procedure in detail.
What Are the Cause of A Gummy Smile?
A gummy smile involves an excessive cover of gums that reduces the appearance of your visible teeth. If the gum line is broader than 4mm, it falls in this category. The reasons for a gummy smile may vary, but the most common cause is genetics.
In some cases, poor oral care can become responsible for this condition. Inadequate brushing leads to accumulated plaque that enters the space between the gums and the teeth to create inflammation and expansion of the gum line.
Research has revealed that the prolonged use of some medicines also leads to the enlargement of the gum tissue. These medicines include immunosuppressant and medicines prescribed for heart disease.
In addition, children may display a gummy smile if they have altered tooth eruption, wherein the tooth pushes out of the gums into the mouth and causes overlapping on the crown. Thus, it is important to take children for regular dental checks to ensure healthy jaw development and aligned teeth.
What is Gum Contouring?
Gum contouring involves reshaping the gum line by removing the extra tissue covering the crown of teeth and affecting your smile. If the gum line is too high which makes teeth appear bigger, the dentist will add the gum tissue to bring it to the normal level.
Typically, gum contouring is a cosmetic procedure, but it can be suggested by your experienced dentist Hope Island if it is needed for crown lengthening or as a regenerative procedure.
Individuals who are suffering from periodontal disease may need it, but most practitioners prefer medication instead of invasive procedures. In such cases, gum contouring becomes a part of the surgical treatments, such as pocket reduction, to save a tooth from falling off because of gum recession.
How does it Work?
Gum contouring requires the use of a scalpel or lasers to cut out the extra gum tissue. The practitioner administers local anaesthesia to numb the area before the procedure, and can be completed in one visit. After the removal of the tissue, the dentist puts sutures on the gums to hold them in the right position over the teeth.
If gum tissue needs to be added to the gum line, the dentist gets the tissue from the palate or any other part of the mouth. The procedure aids in sculpting the gum line to the desired length. The duration of the surgery depends on the amount of sculpting required and usually lasts between one and two hours.
The procedure is not painful because of the anaesthesia and the dentist will prescribe pain-relieving medicines to ensure minimal discomfort afterwards. You can also take over-the-counter painkillers, except aspirin which can cause bleeding.
If you witness swelling, you can use a cold compress to ease the pain and puffiness. The compress should be removed after 15 to 20 minutes and then reapplied for the same duration if required.
Gum Contouring Aftercare Instructions
The recovery is usually quick, but you must take rest for one to two days if you are feeling tenderness or pain in your mouth. Complete healing could take a few weeks if you had a big amount of tissue removed or grafted.
It is essential to eat soft and cold foods during the healing period to avoid discomfort. Recommended foods include soups, yoghurt, mashed foods, eggs, ice cream, cooked vegetables, pasta, etc. Hard, spicy, and seedy foods, such as popcorn, chips, chocolates, strawberries, kiwis, etc., should be avoided.
Dental hygiene should be maintained with the help of a soft-bristled toothbrush, and flossing should be avoided for a few weeks. It is better to stick to a liquid diet and saline water gargles to remove the leftover food particles in the mouth.
Mild swelling and tenderness are common up to one to three weeks after the surgery. However, if the pain and inflammation persist or become unbearable, you must visit your dentist in Hope Island. An infection could be the cause of the increased pain and must be examined by the practitioner immediately.
The Bottom Line
Gum contouring is not required unless it is a part of another dental surgery. However, you can opt for this procedure to improve your appearance if you have a gummy smile. Make sure that you understand the treatment and aftercare instructions carefully before going ahead with it.
