Gum Contouring

Gum contouring (also sometimes known as ‘gum lift’) is a procedure that sculpts your gums into looking neater and making your teeth appear longer and more in proportion. Gum contouring is a cosmetic dentistry technique as it only really improves the way the teeth look, not function. Gum contouring, as it is only a cosmetic change, is usually only done to the visible teeth and gums at the front of the mouth.

As it is only a cosmetic technique, it is done for aesthetic and psychosocial reasons, usually when the patient feels like their smile is showing too much gum and is damaging to the patients confidence and self esteem. By reducing the amount of gum on show, the teeth to gum ratio is improved by gum contouring, usually by lasers, which seals the gum as it sculpts meaning minimum blood and fuss.

How does a Gum Contouring Procedure work?

As gum contouring is a fairly simple procedure, it can be done under local anaesthetic at your local dentists (where they have the technology) and you remain conscious throughout the procedure. The anaesthetic is applied directly to the gum and then a laser is applied to the area of excess gum tissue that the patient wants removed or reshaped or evened out. The laser seals the gum as it works so there is little blood or mess. Patients may experience discomfiture for a short while afterwards after the local anaesthetic has worn off, but this can be managed with simple over the counter painkillers rather than anything prescribed. Occasionally, when the gum keeps re-growing, the gum contouring procedure will be done with the dentist removing a small amount of bone where the teeth are joined, this is done in cases where the bone may need to be reduced to restore proportion, and so that the gum that has been reshaped doesn’t re-grow back to its original appearance.

As said before, gum contouring is a strictly cosmetic dentistry procedure, so it is unlikely that it will be available on the NHS. However it usually only costs one hundred and fifty-to two hundred and fifty pounds on average. Gum contouring can really change the whole look of the mouth, making a smile that bit more toothy and appealing. As the procedure is relatively quick and painless, this has become a popular way of changing the appearance of gummy smiles.

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