excessive gums

Does Laser Gum Removal Treatment Hurt?

December 3rd, 2015

Does Laser Gum Removal Treatment Hurt?After you’ve worked so hard to make your teeth shine, the last thing you want is for your gums to cover them up. A gummy smile can make your teeth look stubby and short. But underneath those gums is a gorgeous set of pearly whites. Laser gum removal, also called laser gum recontouring, can reveal your complete smile. And best of all, it’s virtually painless, so you don’t have to worry about the laser gum removal treatment hurting.
Let’s take a deeper look at how exactly laser gum treatment can help your smile without hurting it.

How Does Laser Gum Treatment Work?

Back in the day, dentists used to use a scalpel to remove excess gum over the teeth. Needless to say, this was pretty painful and caused a fair amount of bleeding. Thankfully, laser technology has allowed cosmetic dentists to gently cut away and perfectly shape excess gums in a virtually painless treatment!
How does it do this? During the laser gum recontouring procedure, your dentist will numb your mouth with local anesthesic. This way, you won’t feel any discomfort. From there, your dentist will use the heat of a diode laser to remove excess gum tissue and shape a more uniform and smooth gum line that enhances the beauty of your smile. Lasers are incredibly precise and accurate, so the laser won’t target anything but the problem areas.
The treatment can be performed and completed in just one short visit to the dentists office.

Before and After Laser Gum Recontouring at Water Tower Dental Care in Chicago

What Are Laser Gum Recontouring Results Like?

After your laser gum recontouring treatment, your gums will be pulled back to a normal length and shaped to best compliment your teeth. Your smile should look better than ever! Take a look at our laser gum recontouring before and after pictures to see what Water Tower Dental Care’s results look like.

What’s Recovery Like?

Unlike scalpels, lasers cauterize, or burn, while they remove your excess gums. Though this might sound scary, it’s actually really good for your recovery! Cauterization means less bleeding and a massively reduced risk of infection.
Your gums may feel swollen or a little sore up to a week after your treatment. But this discomfort shouldn’t be too bad or interfere with your normal routine. Your dentist will give you a low-strength pain reliever to minimize discomfort. You’ll still be able to eat, work, drink and speak normally, but you’ll want to stick to eating soft food a few days after surgery.
Don’t wait to get the smile of your dreams. Laser gum removal can painlessly shape your gums to provide you with your most beautiful smile. If you’re in Chicago, look no further than Chicago’s #1 cosmetic dentistry for your laser treatment. Contact Water Tower Dental Care to set up an appointment with us today!

What is Laser Gum Recontouring?

January 15th, 2015

What is Laser Gum Recontouring?If you’ve ever noticed your own or your friend’s teeth appearing short and stubby, it may be from an excessive amount of gum tissue in the mouth. Heath-wise, an excess of gums is not good or bad, it simply is. Aesthetically, however, many people can feel self-conscious with the look of their smile. It can often make a person look as if they never lost their baby teeth, with their pearly whites looking too small for their mouth. A solution to remove excess gums from the mouth is by laser gum recontouring. This simple procedure can push back the amount of gums over the teeth and give a person an excellent smile.

Why Choose Laser Gum Recontouring?

Laser Gum Recontouring Before and After Picture
Many people find laser gum recontouring a simple way to relieve themselves from a gummy smile. This happens when a smile shows more gum than teeth. Often, this is caused by excess of gums, however it can also be caused by hyperactivity of the muscle that controls lip movement, or a misaligned bite. If it is caused by over-excess of gums, laser recontouring is the option that can help turn that gummy smile into a perfect smile.
It’s good to know that overcrowding of gums is not an unhealthy issue. The only time laser gum recontouring is recommended is when the gums are healthy enough to withstand the push back. Excess gums that are unhealthy gums are often caused by other issues, such as inflamed gums from bacteria or periodontal disease. At which point, other dental procedures and options are available.
For healthy gums that are overcrowding the teeth and creating a gummy smile, laser recontouring is the solution.

How Does Laser Gum Recontouring Work?

While laser gum recontouring may sound scary, it’s much safer and more efficient than the old way of recontouring, which included a scalpel and a long recovery time. Using a precise diode laser, the procedure is virtually painless. The process begins by using an anesthetic to numb the mouth. The dentist then uses the diode laser at specific points of the gums. The heat of the laser vaporizes the excess gum tissue instantly without any type of burning sensation. As well, as the laser removes the excess gums, it also seals the remaining tissue which prohibits bleeding and chance of infection.
Recovery from laser recontouring is quite simple. Depending on the amount of tissue removed, there will be a few days of swelling and discomfort. Often, the patient will eat softer foods for a few days as the healing process continues. However, for the most part, recovery is quick and results are immediate.
If you have questions about laser gum recontouring or are interested in the procedure for yourself, do no hesitate to contact Water Tower Dental. We can schedule an appointment to look at your gums and decide on a proper procedure to put your smile on the path to perfection. If that includes laser gum recontouring, we will walk you through the steps of the procedure and make certain that you are comfortable and ready for a great smile.