You brush and floss. You maintain a healthy routine of visiting your Clinton, NJ, dentist on a regular basis. However, you feel like your appearance is not where you want it to be. The problem? A gummy smile that is just begging for gum contouring.
Many people come to Walnut Pond Dentistry’s Dr. Victoria Uryniak and Dr. Carson Ferris-Zeolla seeking gummy smile solutions. If you’re one of them, give us a call. In the meantime, get to know how gum contouring can improve your appearance permanently.
What Makes a Smile Look Gummy?
Gums are made up of soft tissues and membranes. They offer protection for your teeth and jawbones. However, they may occasionally do their job too well by concealing too much of a tooth. When this happens, the teeth appear unusually small. This leads to a gummy smile augmented by immature looking teeth.
Although a gummy smile is typically considered an aesthetic issue, it can have oral health ramifications. For instance, if the gums become too thick, they may make it difficult to properly clean debris from between the teeth. Additionally, excess gums may be challenging to floss without accidentally cutting into the gums, leading to trauma and bleeding.
Gum Contouring as a Gummy Smile Remedy
Gum contouring is a cosmetic treatment that can restore gums to a healthier position. During the procedure, the dentist will numb the area to work on. Then, she will use specialized instruments to trim away unnecessary gum tissues. This ordinarily takes one appointment and is comfortable and gentle.
The overall goal of gum contouring is to create a sense of symmetry throughout the mouth. The dentist will lean on her years of experience and training to reshape the gums. Not only does professional gum contouring require medical knowledge, but it allows the dentist to use an artistic eye.
After gum contouring, patients are often surprised at the difference removing just a bit of gum tissue makes. Plus, they appreciate knowing that recovery happens quickly and normally without complications.
Does Gum Contouring Lengthen the Teeth?
When you see gum contouring before and after pictures of yourself, you might wonder if your teeth have gotten longer. The answer is that the length of your teeth has not changed. However, because the gums have been trimmed down, the teeth seem to be longer.
Often, people will refer to “teeth lengthening” or “tooth lengthening” when discussing gum contouring. However, the teeth are not addressed during the gum contouring procedure. They simply get the benefit of looking more mature after excessive gum tissues are removed.
Life and Smiles After Gum Contouring
Post-gum contouring treatment, you may find that you smile more often. You may even start to like getting your pictures taken more than you did before. At the same time, you may discover that because the lower portion of your teeth were covered for years by gums, they are not the same color as the upper part of the teeth. In this case, you may want to discuss further cosmetic dentistry options such as professional teeth whitening. Teeth whitening can be a natural next step after gum contouring to brighten your new smile even more.
Interested in finding out if you are a candidate for gum contouring? Call our Walnut Pond Dentistry practice during normal office hours to schedule an appointment. You may be surprised at how much you can change the way you look with a simple gum contouring treatment.
