The soft, pink gingival tissues (i.e., gums) that surround the lower parts of your teeth serve a number of different purposes. For instance, they protect your teeth’s roots from harmful oral bacteria and help keep your teeth still and steady as you bite and chew. From a cosmetic perspective, they also play a significant role in your smile’s overall appearance, and when your gums are uneven, they can make your whole smile seem off-balance. Fortunately, gum contouring can effectively reshape uneven gum lines, and lasers make gum contouring even easier than the traditional, scalpel-based surgery.
How Gum Contouring Works
Cosmetic gum contouring is the process of gently trimming away a minimal amount of gum tissue to create a more symmetrical and attractive gum line. The shape of your gum line, which frames your teeth, can have a significant impact on your smile’s esthetic appeal, and gum contouring can offer dramatic results with minimal work.
Lasers vs. Traditional Gum Surgery
To perform gum contouring, dentists typically use a scalpel, making it a minor oral surgery procedure. Surgical gum contouring is still minimally invasive, but at Austin Prosthodontics, Dr. Carmona prefers to utilize a specially-calibrated diode laser designed specifically for soft gingival tissues. The laser allows Dr. Carmona to perform laser gum contouring with more precise results, significantly more comfort, and a quicker, easier healing period (sutures are typically not needed with laser gum contouring).
If your smile seems uneven because you have excessive or asymmetrical gums, then speak with Dr. Carmona about how you can benefit from laser gum contouring.
