My orthodontist recommended me to get this procedure done. It basically takes a laser to remove the excess gum around your teeth to show your teeth more which results in a better smile. Also used for gum disease, but my sole intention is for cosmetic use. Supposed to be pain-free and recovery time is little to none. Here's an example: Spoiler I was just wondering if there are any people here who have had the procedure and would be willing to share their experiences. Is it worth the $500 price tag? Risks with the procedure? Any information will help. Thanks.
I'm a dentist, and I've also had a very similar procedure performed on myself, so I can give you a quick overview of the procedure from a professional standpoint, as well as personal experience. First off, post-op pain is extremely minimal. You'll be tender for a couple of hours, and then completely fine. I had a more invasive procedure called esthetic crown lengthening performed, where they remove both gum and bone. I was done with the procedure at around 4, and eating a cheeseburger at 6. As far as the gingivectomy, if your gums are overgrown and it is not caused by an underlying problem such as excessive bone, then you'll get great results. However, if the problem is being caused by overgrown bone, then simply cutting the gums will not solve the problem, as they always maintain a certain relationship with the bone, and will grow back. These are the two most common scenarios, but there is another. I'm not sure if you're getting it done because your teeth appear "smaller" than they should, but the third scenario is something caused by vertical maxillary excess. Long story short, its a very easy, pain-free procedure, so long as you trust your dentist and feel that he's taken the necessary steps to correctly diagnose the cause of your particular issue. I tried to keep my response real broad and general, but if you have any questions please let me know.
Thank you so much, really appreciate all the info. Would rep if I could. If by any chance I could show you a picture of my teeth...would you be able to tell if this procedure would really benefit me in terms of better smile, showing more teeth, etc? Pretty much everything concerning the cosmetic purpose of the procedure. I'm worried my orthodontist just wants to make money off me and that it really wouldn't change my smile all that much.
No problem at all. Unfortunately, no looking at a picture, I wouldn't be able to tell you if the gingivectomy would help you. Assuming that you yourself do feel that your smile is "too gummy", it's definitely a procedure that is worth getting done. The only tricky part is diagnosing the condition, and the only way to correctly identify the cause of the issue is clinically. What I personally do is have an evaluation appointment where we'll numb the gums, and then feel under them using the dental explorer to feel for the anatomical marker on the teeth which is supposed to be the marker for bone. Only after doing this and determining that the bone is/is not not where it should be can you really accurately diagnose the issue. Hope that helps a little. Like I said, most important thing is that it's definitely a thing that if diagnosed correctly, can completely change your appearance and smile. Best of luck and let me know if you think of any other questions.
Ah okay, that makes sense. I'll let you know what happens after the procedure, assuming I actually go through with it of course. Helped me alot, thank you.
I don't know the answer to this, but I know that receding gums is a common problem for people as they get older. My first question for the orthodontist would be, "How could this potentially affect me in 20 years." If it provides a cosmetic benefit now, and a concomitant increase in the risk for potentially less than "only cosmetic" problems down the line, is it worth it?
