Procedures, Types, and Cost

Cosmetic gum surgery is another interesting branch of cosmetic dentistry that involves the gum treatment. Gum tissues are like the frame of your teeth providing shape and support. When the gum’s integrity is not well supported and the gum actually becomes weaker, your smile loses its worth.

An unattractive smile isn’t something that you like to flaunt; it also indicated your poor oral hygiene. We lose gum tissues over time due to poor hygiene that eventually leads to gum diseases. Cosmetic dentistry offers an array of cosmetic solutions like crowns, veneers, implants and composite resin bonding for enhancing your smile. All these solutions, in combination, form the overall strategy of cosmetic gum surgery.

Cosmetic Gum Surgery

Cosmetic gum surgery is primarily used for correcting a “gummy smile”. A gummy smile is typically characterized by a feature that exposes the major portion of the gum when you are smiling. This indeed makes your smile look dull and unattractive. Your teeth also tend to appear more than usual, which further contributes to an ugly and boring look. Cosmetic gum surgery helps in lengthening the front teeth to give you an overall pleasant appearance and an attractive smile.

With cosmetic gum surgery it is possible to make dramatic improvements in your smile and also correct both major and minor deformities and gingival problems. This in turn will give you a smile that you’ve always wanted. Over time and with age, our gums definitely shrink and recede and this makes our teeth appear longer. Whilst this is usually considered to be an age related factor, it might as well occur due to certain bad habits too. With the help of your cosmetic dentist, you can now make drastic improvements to your smile and have a youthful and wonderful appearance.

If you have a gummy smile, the problem actually lies in the shape of you teeth; the teeth are too short and that makes your gums appear longer. Gum sculpting happens to the perfect solution to this treatment. In order to resolve this problem, the dentist will use a laser for removing the excessive tissues from your gum thereby exposing more of the teeth.

Are you a Candidate for Cosmetic Gum Surgery?

If you are having short teeth and bigger gums, you are the perfect candidate for cosmetic gum surgery. In fact, people with a gummy smile can always opt for this method to improve their smile dramatically. However, you need to get yourself thoroughly checked by an expert dentist to find out whether or not you have some other oral health complications. If all your reports are normal, you can go ahead with a cosmetic gum surgery.

The Procedures involved in Cosmetic Gum Surgery

The process of cosmetic gum surgery involves two distinct procedures, depending on the present smile of the candidate:

Gummy Smile Procedure:

A gummy smile procedure is done for people having too much gingival display. A gummy smile is caused due to various factors such as tooth grinding, longer jawbone than usual, shorter upper lip and other such factors, these are the common features that a person is born with. This smile appears when your teeth are smaller than your gums.

With the help of cosmetic gum surgery it is possible to reduce excessive gums to enhance the smile. By removing these tissues, it is actually possible to bring the teeth to its normal size and have a usual gum line too. With the use of certain specialized instruments, such as laser, it is now possible to remove all the unwanted tissues. Your cosmetic dentist will recommend the use of antibacterial mouth wash for a period of 2 weeks post surgery.

Long Tooth Smile

Long tooth smile, also known as gum recession, is yet another type of treatment for receding gums. When your teeth are longer than usual, you are actually having a long tooth smile. Whilst the problem usually begins with an unpleasant smile associated with gum recession, however, there is yet another angle to it. Long tooth smile increases tooth sensitivity and also the chances of tooth loss. Nonetheless, with the latest improvements in the fields of materials and techniques being used for these treatments, significant improvements can be expected in a very short while.

Receding gums make your teeth appear longer than usual. Such gums expose the sensitive root surface of your teeth that often makes it difficult for you to have hot, cold or sweet substances. Teeth tend to become loose as the gum recedes. With cosmetic gum surgery, the cosmetic dentist will remove the tissues from your root, especially the root of the mouth which will then be grafted into the gum line. This tissue further reinforces the gums and fills the receded areas. After the procedure is over, your cosmetic dentist will prescribe a mouth wash or an antibacterial rinse to be used over a period of 3 weeks for quick healing.

The Cost of Cosmetic Gum Surgery

The cost of the cosmetic gum surgery treatment varies from person to person depending on the type of treatment required and how much of the mouth needs treatment. It is also imperative to determine which of the procedures should be used for correction and whether or not any additional cosmetic dentistry procedure will be required for the same.

Typical cost ranges from $1000 – $3000 depending on insurance.

It is sometimes recommended by the cosmetic dentist to use other procedures like veneers or crowns for improving the overall appearance of the gums and teeth. Prior to the treatment, it is important to have an overall discussion with the cosmetic dentist regarding the procedures involved and the ultimate cost of the complete procedure.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Cosmetic gum surgery ensures quick healing and a youthful appearance very quickly. It is also being said that cosmetic gum surgery helps in improving the overall health of the gums too. This procedure further helps in reducing the tooth sensitivity to hot or cold foods or sweets whilst protecting the roots from any disease or decay.

Cons:

If there is any disadvantage of this treatment, it is the surgical method. Although not really painful, as it is done under anesthesia, still some people are concerned about surgical treatments. Nonetheless, it is a safe treatment that will only enhance your appearance and cause no harm.

Description: If you have a problem with gummy smile, the best way to correct this problem is via cosmetic gum surgery. To find if you are the candidate for cosmetic gum surgery and what are the costs involved you will need to contact your dentist.