At
times, teeth may be of the healthiest sort, but the gums would spell a
problem—in terms of aesthetics, that is. You may have seen people with “gummy”
smiles, or those whose gums extend too far from the lip line. People with
“gummy” smiles tend to lose confidence over their dental predicament, since
they feel that too much of their gums show when it shouldn’t be the case.
Fortunately,
a procedure called gum contouring (a.k.a. gum lift) can help. A dentist
performing this cosmetic dentistry procedure uses a laser to trim away excess
gums, then subsequently shape the gum tissue so it looks much better on the
teeth. Gum lifts are done for various reasons. Several people have gums that
didn’t recede after their permanent teeth erupted, while others have lips that
simply show too much gums when they smile. In some cases, gums may actually
recede farther than normal, revealing too much of the tooth surface.
