Table of Contents
Gingival sculpting, cosmetic gum recontouring or periodontal plastic surgery, consists of the process of reshaping the gum tissue around the teeth. Depending on the conditions and demands of the case, it can be performed with a scalpel, electrosurgery or dental laser.
In essence, it is a cosmetic dental treatment that can help beautify your smile and improve your oral health. It involves a minimally invasive procedure to remove and re-contour asymmetric or excess gum tissue. However, in many cases, soft tissue sculpting also requires bone reshaping. The result is healthy, natural-looking gums, with a young, vital and attractive smile; that increases the self-esteem and confidence of the patient.
Gingival sculpting procedures can be performed for cosmetic reasons or oral health reasons, such as facilitating hygiene technique, preventing plaque and tartar build-up on teeth, and stopping the progress of periodontal disease.
The most common cosmetic problems that can be corrected with this treatment include gummy smile (excessive gum exposure), asymmetric gingival contours, and retraction or loss of interdental papillae.
It can also help correct situations where teeth look “too small” or project an unusual shape. This usually occurs when the surrounding gum tissue has grown excessively, creating the false illusion of small, crooked, or ugly teeth. The gum recontouring process removes excess and reshapes soft tissue to lift it up and expose more tooth surface and/or level the gum margin, improving its symmetry and appearance. This procedure only removes surplus or excess tissue, and only exposes the part of the tooth that should be visible under normal conditions.
What Does a Treatment of this Type Imply?
At DENTAL VIP, it is usually our Periodontics Specialist who performs this type of periodontal surgery.
The basic gum recontouring procedure generally requires only one visit of about an hour. After applying a local anesthetic to the gums, delicate incisions are made to trim, reshape, and reposition the gingival tissue. Usually, there is very little discomfort and bleeding, and sutures are rarely necessary.
However, in some cases it is also necessary to sculpt the bone that is under the gum, which takes more surgical time, sutures and other type of postoperative.
Consultation and Case Planning
The details of your consultation and treatment planning, will depend on the health of your gums and your aesthetic goals.
For example, during a routine checkup, we might determine that the tissues around your teeth are receding or excessive. If so, your consultation could include a discussion of guided tissue regeneration procedures to correct or stop the progress of periodontal disease. We could also suggest multiple treatment options, such as flap surgery, bone grafts, membranes, and soft tissue grafts; among others.
If you are considering a cosmetic procedure such as ceramic crowns, veneers or a smile design, we may first assess your gums to rule out excesses or asymmetries. If tissue reduction is necessary, we could discuss the different treatment options, from the most conservative to the most invasive.
As part of the planning of your treatment, we will also inform you of the postoperative period and the healing times for the procedure to which you will be subjected, as well as all those considerations related to the type of anesthesia to be provided.
However, keep in mind that some procedures, such as those related to the correction of small irregularities in the gum margin, can be completed without a formal consultation and a predefined treatment plan. Today’s dental technology allows us to discuss and treat small gingival conditions during regular visits and/or dental cleaning appointments. Even so, and because each case is unique and particular, other situations, however simple they may seem; may require more detailed discussion, planning and diagnosis.
Postoperative and Recovery
Usually, it is common to experience mild swelling and some discomfort after the procedure. Postoperative symptoms and healing time, will depend on the type of intervention performed.
Simple gingival sculpting procedures generally do not require more than a day to heal, however, you may be advised to follow a soft or liquid diet for the first few hours. If your procedure involves grafts or bone recontouring maneuvers, it will probably require stitches and limitation of physical activity, to avoid reopening of the surgical site. To relieve pain and, if necessary, prevent secondary infections; we could prescribe analgesic, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medications, which must be taken to the letter.
Benefits of the Procedure
Gingival reshaping or lengthening of the clinical crown is a fast, safe and practically painless procedure. You will be able to continue your normal activities immediately after treatment. With proper oral hygiene technique, the results of this type of surgery are usually permanent.
The gingival sculpture can offer very important psychological and social benefits, by improving your appearance, confidence and self-esteem; encouraging you to be more socially active and transforming you into a person with a greater disposition to smile. After the procedure, you will probably feel happier, friendlier, and more accessible to other people.
Associated Risks
Gum reshaping is considered a surgical act, so it is important that you know about the possible risks and complications, before undergoing it. Gingival sculpting procedures are typically performed under local anesthesia only, so there is no fear in relation to the typical risks of general anesthesia.
Although extremely rare, there will always be the possibility of a secondary infection at the surgical site, inflammation of the area, or pain after surgery.
Checking the credentials of the Periodontist in charge of the procedure to make sure that he/she is properly trained and that have sufficient clinical experience in this type of cosmetic surgery, is the best precaution you can take.
“Plastic Surgery of the Gums is an Almost Indispensable Procedure in the Great Majority of Smile Designs”.
DENTAL TIP
Biologic Width Management
The biologic width is called the dentogingival structure which is made up of the junctional epithelium and the connective tissue of insertion of the gingiva. When talking about biologic width, not only the length of the gingival insertion should be considered, but it should also be related to the thickness of the gingiva, the periodontal biotype and the depth of the gingival sulcus.
When the gingival insertion and therefore the biologic width is invaded, some type of pathological alteration generally occurs in the area, with serious clinical repercussions. Among the most frequent we find: bone crest resorption, periodontal pockets formation, gingival recession and localized bone loss, gingival hyperplasia or any possible combination of the above.
With the exposition of all these professional concepts, what we seek is simply to show the delicacy of the procedure and the need to be intervened by a true Specialist in Periodontics. Although at first glance the surgery may seem simple, it is essential that the clinician have an in-depth knowledge of and routinely handle all the anatomical components of the gingiva, since otherwise, the consequences could be dire.
Recontouring and reshaping the gums to make them more harmonious and more attractive to the eye, it is possible, but everything has a limit, and in our case; it is essential to respect the biologic width.
Take Care of Your Health by Saving Money!
DENTAL VIP has years of experience in helping patients get the best possible treatment at the best possible price, by travelling to Venezuela for their dental makeover. Whether you wish to rule out any oral injury, have a biopsy, undergo maxillofacial surgery or rehabilitate your entire mouth, it is amazing how much can be done in a short space of time with the right dental team and technology.
If you have never travelled to Caracas before we can quite literally organize your whole dental trip. From your initial quotation, sourcing your flight tickets and hotel along with getting you to DENTAL VIP to undergo your treatment and back to your hotel again. It is our job to make this easy for you, just as we already have for hundreds of patients across the globe.
Being the largest facilitator of dental treatments in Venezuela, we are known in the industry for our quick and professional response. Get in touch today via WhatsApp +58 414-9033547, social networks or Email to find out how we can help you regain your health and achieve the confident smile you have always wanted.
