Many people think of teeth whitening, straightening, veneers, and bonding when they need to see a cosmetic dentist – but your gums also need to be considered. Since your gums cover too much of the tooth surface or have any roughness that can affect your smile while your teeth are in great shape, opting for a gum contouring procedure to refine your appearance and smile will be your only option because the gums make your teeth look shorter, disproportionate, and May look crooked.

Whether or not you are ready to undergo the process of gum contouring before and after depends entirely on the health of your gums. If this is your first time with this procedure, let’s first understand what gum contouring is and how it can be beneficial.

What is gum contouring?

It is a procedure that is accepted by dental surgeons to reshape or resculpt the gumline.

The method of this process entangles cutting away or eliminating excess gum tissue around the teeth. It also helps in the restoration of gum tissue if you have gum recession.

Gum contouring is an elective procedure in most conditions that signifies that it isn’t a medical necessity. Rather than refining the look of the gums, teeth, or smile.

However, there might be a juncture at which your dentist recommends gum contouring for oral health reasons.

When you can go for this procedure?

This process is done for cosmetic purposes repeatedly – however, there might be times when it will be a medical necessity.

In case you have a periodontal issue, this approach will be a medicated alternative. However, the dentist accepting new patients will first-try to treat the gum disease with nonsurgical options. Which incorporates antibiotics to kill the bacteria and infection or dental cleanings to restore gum health.

In case these endeavors don’t work, your dentist will suggest a therapy like pocket reduction surgery on the gums and surrounding bone to save your tooth. Or else, you might require a regeneration process to revamp the injured bone and gum tissue. 

Gum contouring can be a part of these procedures. And if that is accepted then dental insurance will cover the cost or a small-part of it if it’s viewed as a medical necessity. Meanwhile, the only thing you’ve to do is speak with your dental insurancer to find out what’s covered and to know whether there are out-of-pocket expenses or not.

What does this process associate?

This process is always carried out by expert professionals as an in-office procedure which is usually done during a visit.

Customarily, you will remain awake during this process. However, local anesthesia will be injected to numb the gum area before the dentist begins.

During this endeavor, the dentist will utilize a gentle tissue laser or scalpel to eliminate too much gum tissue and resculpt the gumline to expose more of the tooth. A surgical seam can also be utilized to hold the gum tissue in place.

In case your gums recede and the process associated with adding gum tissue then the doctor will eliminate the tissue from another part of your mouth or the palate. Surgery safe this tissue around your teeth to lengthen and restructure your gumline.

The length of the process will differ depending on the extent of the contouring and the amount of result that’s required. Usually, it takes around one to two hours to get completed.

How long it takes to recover?

The downtime of this process is very scant though complete healing will take days or even weeks based on the extent of the surgery. You will have to limit some activities of a day or two based on how you feel and the tenderness you might have.

As your gums and mouth are more likely to experience sensitivity or tenderness at first, you’ll want to eat soft foods for about 2 to 3 days after the procedure. This will include foods like: – 

• soup-yogurt
• apple-sauce
• Jell-O

Your doctor will offer post-surgery dietary instructions and will also let you know if there are any certain foods to avoid while you’re recovering.

You’ll practically have a follow-up appointment for a few days or a week after the process. They will scrutinize your gums to monitor how you’re healing and look for signs of an infection.

They can prescribe an antibiotic mouth rinse to limit the risk of infection. Symptoms of the disease include too much pain and swelling and discharge from the gums.

The Bottom Line: – 

Gum contouring or gingival sculpting is a process that involves reshaping the gum line. This is usually used to refine the look of the gums, teeth, or smile. It’s considered a cosmetic process when it’s done for this reason.

There are instances, but, when gum contouring before and after is necessary for oral health reasons, especially if you have periodontal disease.

This is typically an in-office procedure and takes about 1 to 2 hours. The cost can vary depending on how much gum reshaping is needed and whether it’s covered by dental insurance.