The Procedure

Gum Contouring

Laser gum contouring begins with a local anaesthetic being applied to the gums to numb them. Your dentist will then use a powerful laser light to trim the gums and remove the excess tissue. This allows the dentist to reshape the edges of the gums and expose more tooth, making your smile look less ‘gummy’ or ‘lopsided’. In most cases the dentist will only remove excess gum from around the front teeth as these are the most prominent when you smile. Because the laser also seals the blood vessels in the gums as it cuts, the gums tend to heal quite quickly after this procedure and you should get minimal bleeding. In some cases dentists may need to employ some additional techniques, such as bone reduction at the front of the tooth root to prevent re-growth of the gum material, to achieve the best result.

Gum Grafting

A gum graft, or gingival graft, is usually performed by a periodontist because it is a highly specialist procedure. Your gums will be numbed with a local anaesthetic before your dentist removes a small piece of gum tissue, usually from the roof of your mouth, and transplants it to the area where the gums are receding, to cover the exposed root surface. The transplanted gum tissue will then heal around the root surface, improving the aesthetics of your smile and reducing the risk of further gum recession in the future.