Gum Contouring

Reshaping the gum line, not the tooth

Gum contouring is the reshaping of the gum tissue that frames your teeth. A small amount of gum is removed or re-sculpted so the edge sits where you want it and more of each tooth shows. It is done with the area numbed, and it is used for two different reasons: to change how a smile looks, and to make room for a filling or a crown.

What is a gummy smile?

A gummy smile is one where a wide band of gum shows above the teeth when you smile, so the teeth look short and square even though the tooth underneath is a normal length. The tooth is often fine — it is just partly covered. Recontouring can uncover more of the tooth that is already there.

An uneven gum line is the other reason people ask about this. One tooth sits higher than the one beside it, or the two front teeth do not match each other. Small differences are normal and most people never notice them. If yours bother you when you look at photos, say so.

Crown lengthening before a crown or filling

Sometimes reshaping the gum is not cosmetic at all. When a tooth breaks or decays right at the gum line, there may not be enough solid tooth showing above the gum to hold a filling or to seat a crown properly. Crown lengthening moves the gum — and in some cases a small amount of bone — away from the edge of the tooth so the restoration has a clean margin to sit on. Used this way it is a preparation step, not a finishing touch.

What does the procedure involve?

• We look at your gum line together and agree where the new edge should sit. It is your smile, so you get a say in it.
• The area is numbed.
• The excess tissue is removed and the edge is shaped.
• You rinse, we go over aftercare, and you go home the same day, with a warm towel at the end of it.

Usually only the teeth that show when you smile are treated.

How long does it take to heal?

Expect the gums to feel tender for a few days and to keep settling over the following week or two. How long depends on how much tissue was reshaped. Soft food and lukewarm drinks for the first day or two make it easier, and you keep brushing the rest of your mouth normally while leaving the treated edge alone until we tell you otherwise. If the contouring was done to prepare a tooth for a crown, we will tell you whether the tooth is ready the same day or whether it is better to let the tissue settle before the final scan.

Is gum contouring a treatment for gum disease?

No — gum contouring changes the shape of the gum and does not treat infection underneath it. That distinction matters. If your gums bleed when you brush, feel sore, look puffy, or have started to pull away from the teeth, or if you have been told you have deep pockets, that is periodontal disease and it needs periodontal therapy first. Inflamed tissue can look like extra tissue, so trimming it treats the symptom and not the cause. We screen and chart gum health at your exam, and we start there.

Talk to us about your gum line

Bring it up at your next cleaning, or call (253) 851-4025 and we will take a look. You will get a plain answer: whether recontouring can help, whether crown lengthening is what the tooth actually needs, or whether the gums need treating before anything is reshaped. We are on 62nd Ave NW in Gig Harbor and see patients from Purdy, Key Center, Fox Island, Olalla and Port Orchard.