Last updated on August 16th, 2023
Having healthy gum is crucial to smile beautifully. Gum contouring is one of the most effective solutions to the problems with gums. You will find a good amount of information in this article.
Gum contouring is a practical way to give your gums an ideal look to get a better smile. Today, many people know that a beautiful smile is not necessarily about healthy teeth. Instead, cosmetic problems with the lips or gums can play a part in a smile design.
Cosmetic dentistry has shown that pearl white teeth or perfect teeth alignment can fail to provide you with the perfect smile. Instead, your teeth, gums, and lips should be harmonious with each other. Thus, gum contouring, also called gum lift, gum reshaping, gingivoplasty, or gingival sculpting, is becoming a rising trend in cosmetic dentistry.This blog post will shed light on the fundamental issues in gum contouring. If you are planning to get this treatment or want to learn about it, this post is just for you.
What Is Gum Contouring?
Gum contouring is an effective cosmetic procedure to eliminate gum recession. Your gums are cut, restored, lifted, and reshaped during the procedure. At the end of the process, you expose less gum when smiling. In many cases, gummy smile problems are easily eliminated. But for some patients, gum contouring can be a medical need rather than a cosmetic procedure.
When To Have Gum Contouring?
There is a common belief that gum contouring is necessarily a cosmetic procedure, and people take this treatment just to get a better smile. But, in fact, it is not exactly true. Periodontal problems caused by bacteria or infection need to be treated after a close examination of a dentist. Usually, gum diseases are treated in nonsurgical ways. So, they, thinking that may lead to tooth loss or other more serious problems, try antibiotics and other cleaning techniques to kill the bacteria in your gums. Then, depending on the success in the antibiotic treatment, your dentist might move to a next level treatment, pocket reduction surgery.
Pocket reduction surgery helps you get rid of bacteria under the gum tissue. Gum contouring can be part of such a gum surgery to reshape your gums and uneven gumline after the pocket reduction surgery.
Of course, gum contouring can also be considered a part of cosmetic dentistry. A gummy smile is the biggest reason why people get this treatment. Uneven gum lines are also something that people don’t feel comfortable with.
Although their teeth are normal in size, they look unproportionate due to the uneven gum line. And this makes them less confident when they are smiling or speaking. Also, some patients who might have got Botox, as a temporary solution, in their lips to hide their gums can be tired of renewing the injection a few times a year. So, they stop repeating the Botox injection and get a gum contouring treatment.
Who Can Have Gum Contouring?
Patients with gum diseases can consider gum contouring as long as a dentist advises it. Not every gum disease is subject to gum reduction surgery.Gum contouring is also a viable option for those wishing a better smile. First, however, you should see your dentist and discuss all potential factors keeping you from a beautiful smile.
What Is The Gum Contouring Process Like?
A periodontist or cosmetic dentist should perform gum contouring. The procedure doesn’t take long; just one single visit of 1-2 hours is enough for the entire treatment in a well-equipped dental clinic or office. The steps of gum contouring are as follow:
Local Anesthesia
In most cases, you will not be sleeping during the gum contouring procedure. You will be given local anesthesia so that you don’t feel any pain or discomfort. However, if your contouring is a minor one, you can get the treatment with no anesthesia at all, thanks to the diode laser. According to the Journal of International Oral Health research, in 2015, diode lasers provided the patients with no postoperative discomfort or pain immediately after the gum contouring operation. The patients were, also, followed up for one year to get delayed postoperative data, and it showed that there was not any discomfort or pain in long term, as well.
Determining The New Gum Line
Your dentist will mark the ideal gum line to finish the edges of the gum tissue accordingly. This line shows where your gums are supposed to finish at the end of the procedure.
Shaping The Gum
This is the core part of the procedure. Your dentist will trim away the excess gum or reshape the existing gum tissue. In some cases, adding extra gum tissue might be needed. Then, the required amount of tissue can be taken from your own body. Sculpting is the traditional way to do the job at this point, but gum lasering has been getting more popular recently.
Does Gum Contouring Hurt?
No. The local anesthesia before the operation will keep you comfortable during the procedure.
What Are The Benefits Of Gum Contouring?
Being a transformative procedure, gum contouring offers multiple benefits. Some of the most remarkable ones are these:
Excess Gum Tissue Is Removed
Gum contouring helps you get rid of a gummy smile by removing the excess gum tissue around the teeth.
More Even Gum Line Is Designed
Sometimes adding gum tissue might be needed as well as tissue removal. Whatever the process, you get the most even gum line possible for you.
Permanent Results
The results of gum contouring are permanent, so you don’t need to worry about your smile anymore in your lifetime.
Safe Procedure
The procedure is painless and has no side effects. In addition, laser gum contouring technology makes the process even safer now. This is really great news for those who have dental fear.
What Are The Risks Of Gum Contouring?
Normally, gum contouring side effects are very rare. For instance, anesthesia might trigger an allergic reaction in your body. Also, your gum might relapse if you don’t get the treatment in good hands
How Long Does It Take For Gum Contouring?
Under normal conditions, a gum contouring procedure takes 1-2 hours.
How Long Is The Gum Contouring Recovery Process?
Gum contouring recovery takes a few days to a few weeks. Recovery times greatly depend on the amount of treated tissue and the technique used in the process. The more tissue is treated, the longer the recovery time. Also, while performing a sculpting technique leads to a longer healing period, laser treatment will reduce your recovery time significantly.
Do Gums Grow Back After Gum Contouring?
Normally, the results of the gum contouring are long-term, and your gums will not grow back after the treatment. However, poor oral health might result in new bacteria in your gums, and your gums can grow back. Therefore, you should brush and floss regularly to maintain a healthy mouth.
How Much Does Gum Contouring Cost?
Various factors are affecting the cost of gum contouring. The extent of the operation is a significant factor, for example. In some cases, in addition to basic gum contouring, crown lengthening, which involves bone tissue removal, can be needed. This will increase the price. Also, you should consider the size of the area involved in the procedure for pricing.
The expertise of the dental professional is another factor to be considered. For example, a periodontist will probably charge more than a dentist. Last but not least, the country or city where you receive the treatment is another big factor in pricing. For example, the cost of gum contouring in the U.K can be a few times higher than the cost of gum contouring in Turkey.
What Are Alternatives To Gum Contouring Treatment?
There are different alternative treatments to gum contouring. However, they can be applied depending on the extent of the problem. It means you cannot choose one of the alternatives as you wish, but you should discuss the options with your dentist.
Pinhole Surgical Technique
Pinhole Surgical Technique is a minimally invasive procedure in which they make a small hole on your gum and loosen the load inside by using special instruments. Once your gum tissue is loose enough, they move the receded gums to their ideal position.
Scaling and Root Planing
It is a deep-cleaning procedure with no invasion at all. This treatment aims to remove the tartar on the teeth surface and, more importantly, below the gum line. You can consider this the last chance to heal your gums before moving to gum contouring or grafting.
Regeneration
Regeneration is a treatment that dentists practice if you have severe periodontal problems that have already resulted in the deteriorated bone structure underneath. The gum tissue on the damaged bone is peeled through regeneration treatment, and a dental bone graft is performed.
FAQs About Gum Contouring
Some of the most popular questions about gum contouring with answers are compiled for you here.
How Long Does It Take For Gum Contouring?
Under normal conditions, a gum contouring procedure takes 1-2 hours.
Can You Eat After Gum Contouring?
Yes, you can. However, you should prefer food and drinks that are gentle to gum tissue after gum contouring for the first few days.
What To Eat After Gum Contouring?
According to the article on WebMD by Hedy Marks, dated 2021, you should prefer soft and cool foods like eggs, yogurt, pasta, soft vegetables, cottage cheese…etc. You should avoid spicy or seedy foods.
How Do You Brush Your Teeth After Laser Gum Surgery?
Avoid brushing or flossing the surgery area until it heals. After 7-10 days, you may start brushing the site using a soft-bristled toothbrush without sticking the bristles to the gums.
How Much Is Gum contouring?
Gum contouring for receding gums in the UK costs around £200. However, you can opt for dental treatment abroad, and find lower prices at good clinics.
Is Gum contouring Safe?
Yes, it is a safe way to get rid of small teeth and a gummy smile. Especially, laser gum contouring, with no scalpel, makes gum contouring recovery even faster and safer.
Can You Smoke After Gum contouring?
You should wait until the surgery site heals completely. Otherwise, the risk of complications gets higher, and it can disrupt the healing period.
Can You Have Gum contouring Surgery While Having Braces?
Occasionally, it is possible. But you should still discuss your case with your dentist.
Does Gum contouring Hurt?
No. The local anesthesia before the operation will keep you comfortable during the procedure.
Gum Contouring Abroad: Maltepe Dental Clinic
As mentioned above, gum contouring costs depend significantly on the geographical location where you receive the treatment. The prices are usually higher in the U.K, the U.S, and many European countries.
Some countries offer affordable prices for gum contouring, such as Thailand, Romania, India, Turkey…etc. However, you cannot risk your dental health for money. Therefore, you should seek high quality as well as reasonable prices. Turkey is a good combination of high quality and affordable prices. Consequently, you can get the most of your treatment in good hands in Turkey.
Maltepe Dental Clinic is a leading dental organization located in Istanbul. You can find highly competent dental professionals and the latest technology in an exceptionally hygienic environment at Maltepe Dental Clinic. The clinic, abiding by ethical dentistry, solves various dental problems of people from different countries every year.You can directly contact Maltepe Dental Clinic for more details about the treatment options and prices.
SOURCES
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4672859/
https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/gum-contouring-procedure
