Gum contouring is a cosmetic dental procedure that reshapes your gum to improve your aesthetic appeal and enhance your smile and confidence. It is performed by a trained dental professional to improve your smile and general appearance. People who need gum contouring feel that the ratio between their gums and teeth is imbalanced. They use contouring to achieve a harmonious balance. In addition to improving your smile and appearance, gun contouring also addresses some problems, like excessive gum tissue, that could increase your risk of gum disease.
You should consult a competent dental professional about gun contouring for effective decision-making. They will discuss the benefits, treatment process, and possible side effects. They will also determine your suitability for gum contouring and review your treatment history before taking you through the treatment process.
Reasons to Consider Gum Contouring
People go for gum contouring for several reasons, from the need for improved aesthetics to improved oral health. Here are some of the reasons you should start the conversation with your dentist:
For Aesthetic Enhancement
How you look matters a lot in how you feel about yourself. A person’s confidence is affected by how they think other people see them. If your smile is imperfect, you will worry about your appearance and could shy away from socializing. Cosmetic dentistry mainly improves a person’s general appearance and smile, giving them the confidence to socialize. This is one of the reasons you should consider treatments like gum contouring. If your gum appears uneven or you have more gum tissue that affects your smile and confidence, gum contouring can help.
To Correct a Gummy Smile
You have a gummy smile if more of your gum is seen when you smile. This happens when you have excess gum tissue. Many people with a gummy smile are shy from smiling or even socializing. This can affect your confidence and self-esteem. If your gummy smile affects how you feel about yourself, gum contouring can help. A cosmetic dentist will reshape your gum, reducing its prominence and ensuring more teeth are seen when you smile.
For Improved Functionality
Excess gum tissue can affect the functionality of your teeth and mouth. For example, brushing and flossing your teeth to remove dirt and stuck foods could affect your daily oral health habits. This increases your risk of severe conditions like cavities and gum disease. A dental expert in gum contouring can reshape your gum to make it easier for you to brush and floss your teeth effectively.
To Prepare for Other Dental Procedures
Sometimes, gum contouring is necessary in preparation for another dental procedure. For example, if you need a dental crown or veneer, your dentist can recommend gum contouring to make the placement easier. Remember that gum contouring balances gum lines. Starting a dental procedure with contouring will give you aesthetically pleasing results.
For Enhanced Confidence
A person’s confidence is mainly based on how they feel about themselves. Your appearance is an excellent determinant of how confident you are. Dental experts believe that the quality of your smile can enhance or affect your confidence. If your smile is less perfect because of excess gum tissue, it will affect your self-esteem and confidence. Gum contouring can quickly fix that.
The Benefits of Gum Contouring
A gum contouring procedure presents many benefits you must consider before making the final decision. Some benefits are functional, and others are aesthetic. They include the following:
It Enhances Your Smile
Your smile is what people see the first time they meet you. The quality of your smile determines your beauty and confidence. This explains why many people spend a lot of time and money improving their smile with the assistance of their dentists. If your smile is not as perfect as you want, you can find ways to fix it. Gum contouring is an excellent option for people whose smile is hindered by excess gum tissue. Gun contouring balances the ratio between your gum and teeth, enhancing your general appearance and smile. It exposes your beautiful teeth, which were once overshadowed by the excess gums, to brighten your smile.
It Improved Your Gum Health
Your gum health is as important as your teeth and other structures within your mouth. If one area of your mouth is unhealthy, your oral health and general well-being become compromised. Gun contouring removes excess or out-of-shape gum, improving your gum health. Excess gum tissue can be challenging to keep clean. Regular brushing and flossing do not do much justice to the excess gum tissue. This could compromise our oral hygiene, increasing your risk of gingivitis and gum disease.
It Makes You More Comfortable
How your gums and teeth appear in the mouth determines your comfort when smiling, speaking, or eating. Excessive gum tissues make you uncomfortable, especially when smiling or cleaning your teeth. The discomfort worsens when you realize how difficult it is to practice good oral health habits. Once you start noticing a foul odor from the mouth, you cannot smile or socialize as you would like.
It Boosts Your Confidence
Caring for your teeth and gums is a great way to boost your confidence. Remember that your smile creates the first impression when you meet new people. If your smile is imperfect, you will not smile as confidently as you would like. Some people even shy away from social meetings when unsure of creating a positive impression with their smile. Gum contouring will make you feel better about yourself. This, alone, is enough to boost your confidence.
It Increases Your Suitability for other Dental Procedures
Before performing a dental procedure, like the placement of dental crowns or veneers, a dentist will first determine your suitability. You could be disqualified from such procedures if you have excess gum tissue. Remember that excess gum tissue makes it difficult to maintain good oral hygiene. Most dental procedures require maintaining excellent oral hygiene habits to maintain functional teeth and gums. Gum contouring can increase your suitability for such procedures.
How Dentists Perform Gum Contouring Surgery
Gun contouring is a surgical procedure requiring adequate preparation to go through it successfully. It helps to speak to your dentists about the process and what to expect before and after the procedure to prepare yourself for the treatment. However, you have nothing to worry about with the right cosmetic dentist. They will skillfully and carefully reshape your soft gum tissues to create an aesthetic harmony that gives you the beautiful smile you have always desired.
Gum contouring is an extensive procedure that involves the following processes:
The Initial Dental Examination
All dental procedures must start with an examination determining the health condition of your teeth, gums, and underlying structures. This informs the dentist of the gravity of the underlying issue and your suitability for a particular procedure. When you go for gum contouring, your dentist will begin by examining your teeth, gums, other structures, and underlying tissues. A comprehensive dental exam gives your dentist solid information for easier decision-making.
During the examination, your dentist will consider your gum line before the procedure, with more emphasis on the proportion and symmetry of your gum line. They will also consider the ratio between your teeth and gums when you smile. Remember that a healthy smile is more of the teeth than gums. If your smile reveals more of your gum than teeth, they must fix that to improve your smile and confidence.
Digital Imaging
After examining your teeth and gums in preparation for gum contouring, your dentist must determine how your perfect smile should appear. Thanks to technology, they can use digital imaging for that. A digital image will represent the changes the dentist needs to make in your gums to achieve the desired result. This will help create a treatment plan that will give you the desired benefits. You can preview the digital image and propose changes before the procedure starts. The dentist will use the digital image as their guide or roadmap to make the required changes to your gum tissue.
Administration of Anesthesia
Once you agree with your dentist about the changes that need to happen to your gum to improve your smile and confidence, the dentist will begin the treatment process. Remember that gum contouring includes a surgical procedure that is painful and uncomfortable. Thus, you need anesthesia to remain calm and relaxed throughout the treatment.
Reshaping Your Gums
Remember that the treatment here involves reshaping your gum tissue to give you a more natural smile. Dentists use special dental tools to perform this procedure. They will carefully remove excess gum tissues and reshape the remaining tissue to achieve the aesthetic outcome you desire. This treatment aims to strike a balance between your gums and teeth. The ratio between the two has to be proportionate for your smile and general appearance to become more natural.
Once they reshape your gum tissue, your dentist will precisely sculpt the gumline to perfect it. They will consider several factors in this process, including the shape of your teeth, lip movement, and general facial aesthetics. This process could include the use of traditional surgical techniques and lasers. When they achieve the desired shape, the dentist will suture back the gum into its original place.
Healing and The Recovery Process
Since gum contouring involves an invasive surgical process, you need enough time to heal and recover. Your dentist will ask you to set aside time to allow yourself to heal completely before returning to your daily activities. Most importantly, they will give you care instructions to help you recover at home. You will spend a few days in a hospital, and the rest of your recovery will happen at home.
With proper care, your gum will gradually heal within a few weeks. You will enjoy the final results once you achieve complete healing.
Care Tips After Gum Contouring
Remember that how well and quickly you recover after gum contouring depends mainly on how well you care for them after the procedure. Your dentist will give you aftercare tips to help you during the recovery. Here are some of the things you must consider when caring for your gums for effective healing:
Your Diet
After an invasive surgery like gun contouring, you must change your to allow your gums to heal completely. Then, you can return to the foods you enjoy or are accustomed to. Since you must take care of your nutrition to remain healthy and strong, consider soft foods like mashed potatoes, yogurt, pasta, scrambled eggs, and smoothies. These will be less likely to irritate the healing gums.
You also want to avoid spicy and crunchy foods that can disrupt the healing process and make you uncomfortable.
Your dentist will also require you to stay hydrated by taking plenty of water and other healthy beverages. Your beverages should be at the right temperature not to irritate your healing gums.
Oral Hygiene
You must keep good oral hygiene habits to keep your mouth clean and avoid the growth of harmful bacteria in the mouth. However, you must be gentle around the treated gums to avoid irritating them and prolonging the healing process. Carefully brush your teeth, especially along the gum line. Rinse your mouth regularly with warm, salty water. You should avoid harsh mouthwashes and other products that can irritate the healing gums.
Pain Management
Your dentist will discuss ways in which you can manage your pain during the healing process. They will give you pain medication or a prescription to obtain some from a rug store. Ensure you take this medication as per the dentist’s recommendations. Placing a cold pack on the affected area can help if the pain becomes unbearable or there is swelling.
Minimal Physical Activity
Putting strain on your body will affect your healing process after gum contouring. Your dentist will recommend taking a few days to rest with minimal physical activity to allow yourself to heal. Extreme physical activities like heavy lifting can increase bleeding or cause your gums to swell.
Your dentist will also include other changes you must make to improve your healing ability, including limiting alcohol consumption and not smoking. Generally, smoking lowers your body’s natural healing abilities. It will affect how quickly and effectively your gum heals after contouring.
If you notice a problem during recovery, you must contact your dentist immediately.
Critical Points Worth Noting About Gum Contouring
Gum contouring is not a quick dental procedure that will take a few hours to enjoy a beautiful smile and a more aesthetic appeal. You will thoroughly prepare with your dentist before the actual procedure. The procedure can also take time, depending on how much excess gum tissue your dentist must remove. Since your dentist must carefully reshape and contour your gum to the desired outcome, it can take time. The healing also takes time. However, the results are worth the wait.
You will experience discomfort and sensitivity after the surgery and before fully recovering. Pain medication will relieve the pain, but the discomfort will be there. However, it should improve with time. Ensure you follow the after-care instructions given by your dentist to alleviate the discomfort and improve your oral hygiene.
Healing after gum contouring can take several weeks. You must patiently care for your gums during this period to promote a quick and more effective recovery. Talk to your dentist about it if you experience more pain or sensitivity during recovery. Remember that your healing should improve every day and not worsen.
Additionally, not everyone is a good candidate for gum contouring. What works for another person may not necessarily work for you. Your tooth and gum structures are unique. You need a personalized approach with your dentist to determine your eligibility and the best plan to achieve the desired results. Talk to your dentist about your ideal smile and facial appearance to determine whether gum contouring can help. A skilled dentist will discuss other treatments to help you make the best decision.
Since gum contouring is a cosmetic dental procedure, it could be costly. Prepare your finances well before starting the treatment process. You can begin by finding out if your insurance provider covers it. If part of the treatment is covered by insurance, find out if you can cover the remaining part for a smooth process.
Find a Competent Cosmetic Dentist Near Me
Gum contouring is necessary if you have a gummy smile that affects your smile, confidence, and overall appearance. It is a dental procedure that a skilled and experienced cosmetic dentist can perform. However, you must be a suitable candidate for gum contouring for your dentist to recommend it.
We are experts in gum contouring at Tarzana Dental Care. Our cosmetic dentists can examine your teeth and gums to discuss your eligibility for this treatment. They can also discuss the treatment procedure, benefits, and possible side effects. This helps you make the right decision. Call us at 818-708-3232 if you are worried about your excess gum tissue in Tarzana. Let us discuss your treatment needs and our service in more detail.