Gummy Smile Management (Gum Conditioning)

Gums also play a major role in enhancing the over all aesthetics of oral cavity. Other than aesthetics gums are more important for the health aspect of the moth. Healthy gums strengthens the tooth structure , reduces the chances of acquiring many systemic diseases and helps in having a painless oral structure.

Gums appear light pink and are sharply defined. Bone completely surrounds the roots of the teeth. Healthy teeth and gums are maintained by daily plaque removal from all surfaces of the tooth (through tooth brushing and inter dental cleaning).

Even if a person has teeth that are straight, healthy, and even, the beauty of their smile may be diminished by gums that extend too far, making teeth look too small. Many dentists refer to this as a “gummy” smile, and it can cause people to feel self-conscious. Ideally, the gums should appear even and smooth, and should act as a frame to complement a person’s smile, rather than as a distraction from it.

Fortunately, a “gummy” smile can now be fixed in a cosmetic dentistry procedure that is fast and pain free. Patients who have uneven gums or gums that extend to mask a significant portion of their teeth are excellent candidates for laser gum re-contouring, also known as gum lifting.

The terms “gum contouring” and “gum sculpting” are used to refer to a surgical procedure where a person’s gum line is repositioned so a greater percentage of that person’s teeth is revealed. When you look at the upper teeth in the picture above (especially the lateral incisors, the two teeth that lie to each side of the center two teeth) it really does seem that only a portion of the teeth are showing. Sometimes people refer to this appearance as a “gummy smile”.

The Procedure of Gum re contouring

Gum contouring few years back was being done with scalpel and bp blade. This used to  cause bleeding and an uncomfortable recovery. Also the contouring process by scalpel used to be very uneven leaving  behind a very rough  gum surface after  healing.

But now, with the advent of the diode laser, patients can have their gums sculpted to perfectly accent their smiles in a fast, simple, and virtually painless procedure.

To begin the laser gum recontouring process, the patient’s mouth is numbed with a local anesthetic to eliminate any discomfort.

The dentist will then use a diode laser to gently cut away excess gum tissue and sculpt a more uniform, scalloped gum line. Diode lasers cauterize while they cut, which means less bleeding and a dramatically reduced chance of infection for patients. The entire gum lifting procedure can be completed in just one brief visit to the dentist’s office.

After his or her gum lifting procedure, a patient may experience sore or swollen gums for up to a week. The discomfort should be minimal, however, and will not interfere with daily activities such as speaking, eating, or drinking.

Major Advantages

The major advantage of  laser gum  treatment is it causes cauterization during the treatment itself. This results in less bleeding and reduced chances of infections.

Compared to scalpel technique cutting by laser is more uniform in nature , there by resulting in a better outcome.

Recovery time after Gum Contouring

The laser gum recontouring procedure itself is completely painless, since the dentist will use a numbing agent on the gums to eliminate pain. After the procedure, gums may feel sore or swollen for up to a week. However, this will not interfere in any way with everyday life. Patients do not need to take time off from work or school in order to recover. The short-term discomfort associated with the procedure can be easily treated with Ibuprofen to minimize swelling and reduce pain.

The following video describes about the use of laser in the treatment of gummy smile. The video is not owned by us and collected from youtube for educational purpose. The video is owned by  http://www.sundds.com/