Gum Contouring in Downtown Los Angeles

The frame

What contouring corrects

Teeth are read against the gum around them, not on their own. A tooth of perfectly good proportions looks short if too much gum covers it, and a row of even teeth looks uneven if the tissue sits at different heights across them — which is why people often arrive convinced there is something wrong with their teeth when the teeth themselves are fine. Contouring reshapes the tissue and does not touch the teeth at all. It is a small change with a disproportionate effect, because it alters how much of each tooth shows and how level the line across them reads. Done with a laser, it is also among the gentler things in cosmetic dentistry.

• A gummy smile Where more gum shows than you would like when you smile fully, making otherwise well-proportioned teeth look short.
• An uneven gum line Where the tissue sits at different heights across the front teeth, so the teeth look mismatched even when they are not.
• Function as well as appearance Gingivoplasty is soft tissue re-contouring, and it improves both — the aesthetics are the reason most people ask, not the only reason to do it.

Contouring, or crown lengthening?

They look similar and are not the same job. Contouring reshapes gum tissue for appearance. Crown lengthening adjusts the gum line to expose more of the natural tooth, usually because a crown or another restoration needs room to fit properly. Which one you need depends on why the gum is where it is, and that is what the examination establishes.

If the gums are not healthy first

Reshaping healthy tissue is cosmetic; reshaping inflamed tissue is treating the wrong problem. Where gum disease is present it is dealt with first, because nothing cosmetic holds on an unhealthy foundation.