Gum contouring reshapes the gum margin, the line where the gum meets the tooth. Where the gum sits low over the teeth, or where the line is uneven from one tooth to the next, reshaping it evens out how much of each tooth is on show. It is a small procedure on the soft tissue, and it changes the frame around the teeth rather than the teeth themselves.
When it is considered
Two situations come up most often: a smile that shows a broad band of gum above the upper teeth, and a gum line that runs unevenly, so that one tooth looks shorter than the one beside it. It is also done as part of other treatment. Where veneers or crowns are planned for the front teeth, setting the gum line first gives the restorations a level to be built to; the same applies after root canal treatment or implant work in the front of the mouth.
How it is done
The dentist assesses the gum line against the teeth and the lip before anything is changed, since the amount of gum that shows depends on all three. The area is numbed and the excess tissue is reshaped to the agreed line. Where the bone beneath sits too high for the gum alone to be adjusted, that is a different and larger procedure, and it is discussed as such rather than treated as part of the same appointment.
Recovery
The gum is tender for a few days and settles over the following weeks. Brushing continues but gently at the margin while it heals, and the clinic advises on rinsing. Because the tissue keeps changing shape for a period afterward, final veneers or crowns are fitted once the gum line has settled rather than at the same visit.
The dentists behind this treatment
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