Can gum contouring fix my smile?

Having a gummy or uneven smile is among the most common complaints patients have about the look of their teeth. It’s important to remember that your gums play just as big a role in smile aesthetics as the teeth themselves. Gum contouring is a straightforward, comfortable treatment that can improve your smile in 4 main ways.

1. Creates a Straighter Smile

If your gumline isn’t straight, it can impact the overall balance of your smile and have the same effect on appearance as crooked teeth. However, in some cases, dealing with a crooked gumline may be more straightforward than orthodontic treatment. Gum contouring works by removing gum tissue to even out the gumline, helping create the appearance of a straighter smile. 

Artistic smile design is not just about finding the perfect smile but rather achieving a balance that suits your natural smile. When you compare your before and after photos, you’ll clearly see an improvement. Fixing an uneven gumline will make your entire smile more symmetrical. It’s one of the biggest impacts such a minimally invasive cosmetic dental treatment can have.

2. Adjusts a Gummy Smile

If your gums appear too prominent when you smile, you have what’s called a gummy smile. This can arise for various reasons. For instance, you may simply have excess gum tissue, or your lips could naturally raise higher and expose more of the gums when you smile. In either case, gum contouring provides an effective solution.

Gum contouring removes any excess tissue to balance out your smile. During your appointment, your dentist carefully adjusts your gumline by strategically removing tissue at different points. This process requires planning and attention to detail in order to achieve a smile that’s right for you.

With your gums now appearing more proportional to your teeth, you don’t have to worry about how big your smile is. You can confidently share it with the world instead of hiding it away. This can have a major impact on your social life and even your career.

3. Reveals More Tooth Structure

In some cases, gummy smiles may benefit more from crown lengthening. These are generally cases where the goal is to increase the apparent size of the teeth. The main difference in gum contouring vs. crown lengthening is that lengthening requires some underlying bone removal as well.

Removing gum tissue and reshaping the bone exposes more of the crown to make teeth appear longer. So if you feel like your teeth appear too small and excess bone (and not just excess gum tissue) is partly the reason, crown lengthening may be right for you.

Larger teeth can make others perceive you as more confident and dynamic. They are often associated with dominant personalities, so you may be able to make your smile represent you more accurately this way. That’s why carefully planning out your smile design—and factoring in your personality— is so important.

4. Improves the Shape of Your Teeth

There’s not just the proportion of gum tissue to think about. Your dentist has to consider the ideal curvature of your gumline as well. The contour of the gumline can vary where it meets each tooth, so adjusting the shape itself can drastically improve the smile.

In most cases, the gums at the base of each tooth should be shaped like half of either an oval or circle, depending on your particular smile. It should also be symmetrical. However, you may notice that your gumline is oddly angled oddly or higher on one side than the other.

Gum contouring can adjust these fine details to eliminate even the smallest cosmetic defects in your smile. Your smile will appear straighter and more balanced, as a skewed gumline can cause teeth to appear misaligned. You can achieve beautiful results that provide an incredibly natural-looking smile.

Modern technology makes gum contouring even easier.

At Luminous Smiles, Dr. Desai carries out laser gum contouring using the latest in dental laser technology. This approach allows for comfortable treatment and precise results. You’ll be able to enjoy your new, beautiful smile and recover quicker and easier than with traditional gum-contouring methods.

Dr. Desai, a Kois-trained dentist, carefully develops your smile design with the professional insight into smile aesthetics it takes to deliver stunning results. Dr. Desai develops relationships with her patients and focuses on personalized care. She is the only female American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry-accredited doctor in Newport Beach.

If you’d like to learn more about gum contouring, crown lengthening, and other cosmetic treatments your Newport Beach dentist can perform to improve your smile, schedule a consultation with Luminous Smiles today.