Laser dentistry makes transforming your smile easier than ever.

Your smile is an important part of your self-image, self-expression, and even the way you relate to and interact with other people. It’s no wonder that there are so many cosmetic dental procedures out there – like teeth whitening and dental veneers – that aim to help you revitalize your smile, restoring your confidence in the process. Since your gums have a surprisingly large impact on the overall appearance of your smile, there are even cosmetic dentistry procedures like gum contouring aimed at addressing issues like gummy smiles to improve your smile.

Recent advances in technology mean that this procedure can now be done using laser dentistry, which brings many benefits. If this is your first time learning about gum contouring, however, you might have a lot of questions about the procedure, what it treats, and what the switch to laser dentistry could mean for you. To help you learn more about it so that you’re equipped to ask questions if you think it may be right for you, we’ve put together a guide on the basics of gum contouring and how Dallas laser dentistry makes it better than ever.

What is a gummy smile?

A gummy smile is when there is a higher proportion of gums to teeth showing in your smile. This can make your gums more noticeable when you smile and may cause your teeth to look short or small, sometimes giving your smile an almost childlike quality. Some people find this cute, but others are self-conscious of their gummy smiles. Thankfully, since the main cause of a gummy smile is usually simply excess gum tissue over average-sized teeth, resolving a gummy smile is usually easy!

How is a gummy smile typically treated?

There are two main ways to treat a gummy smile: gum contouring and crown lengthening. The most common of these procedures is gum contouring, which is where Dr. Alhadef carefully removes excess gum tissue, sculpting a new gum line that reveals a more average proportion of your teeth when you smile.

Crown lengthening involves gum reshaping as well, but it’s a more invasive surgery because it also removes and reshapes the bone underneath your gums to allow more of your tooth to show when you smile. This option is done in situations like when you need more extensive gum reshaping or when your teeth themselves are shorter than average. In general, though, gum contouring works to reshape most people’s gum lines. Although this seems like a small change, it can transform the appearance of your smile and give you newfound confidence in it.

Additionally, dental veneers are a common alternative to gum surgery. These thin porcelain sheets are permanently placed over your natural teeth, allowing them to change their shape and shade, including making them look longer. This means that they can even out the proportion of gums to teeth in your smile.

What is laser dentistry gum contouring and how is it better?

Laser dentistry gum contouring relies on soft tissue dental lasers to remove excess gum tissue instead of the traditional scalpels. Dental lasers cut using a special, focused wavelength of light to cut your gums. This method is extremely different from simply relying on the sharpness of a scalpel. Dental lasers have a surprising range of uses in dentistry, but when they’re used for gum contouring, their unique method of cutting brings many benefits that can improve your experience during your procedure and your final results. Here are just three of the many benefits laser dentistry gum contouring can provide. 

1. Lower Risk of Infection

Dental lasers cauterize as they cut, which means that they both minimize bleeding and sterilize the area as Dr. Alhadef works on it. This helps lower your chances of developing a bacterial infection during the healing process. Since this is one of the most common post-surgical complications for this type of procedure, it can make the healing process easier and more worry-free.

2. More Precise

Another major benefit of dental lasers is how incredibly precise they are. The laser’s beam is small, which makes it an easily maneuverable tool. Plus, causing less bleeding means that Dr. Alhadef can see better throughout the procedure, which only helps his precision even more. This level of precision means that Dr. Alhadef can get the smallest details right, giving you a finished smile that looks even better.

3. Faster Healing

In addition to reducing the risk of infection, dental lasers reduce your healing time by stimulating tissue regeneration. This helps your gums to heal faster after your procedure, which means that you’ll start feeling better—with less discomfort—faster than ever!

What are the benefits of gum contouring?  

Gum contouring permanently improves the appearance of your smile by evening out asymmetrical gum lines or resolving gummy smiles. Although these issues may seem like small details, they can have a huge impact on the overall appearance of your smile—or even just your confidence in it! 

Resolving these issues can completely transform your smile, allowing other aspects of its unique appearance to shine in ways they couldn’t before. This can give you newfound confidence in your smile, allowing you to feel comfortable sharing it with more people. It can change many aspects of your daily life, including potentially impacting the way you interact with and approach new people because you won’t have to worry about the appearance of your smile. 

The procedure is also sometimes used to restore gum health after periodontitis. When this is the case, gum contouring can also be a vital step in restoring your oral health.

Laser gum contouring uses cutting-edge dental technology to give you better results than ever before, making seemingly small changes to your gum line that can transform the appearance of your smile. It gives your teeth the space they need to truly shine, giving you a newfound sense of confidence in your smile. 

But don’t simply take our word for it! If you’d like to learn more about Dallas laser dentistry or see stunning before and after photos from our other patients, take the first step by scheduling a consultation with Dr. Alhadef today!