• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Parkview Dental

(320) 587-2726 Make an Appointment Pay Online

  • COVID-19 Protocols
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Our Dentists
    • Our Dental Hygienists
    • Our Dental Assistants
    • Our Administrative Assistants
  • Our Services
    • Preventive Dentistry
    • Restorative Dental Services
    • Cosmetic Dentistry
    • Sleep Wellness
    • Dental Imaging
    • Relaxation
  • Our Products
  • Patient Info
    • Patient Forms
    • Patient Referral Form
    • Financial Information
    • Patient Login
    • Kid’s Corner
  • News & Events
  • Contact Us

Stressed Out about a Gummy Smile? Did you know it Can Be Corrected?

POSTED BY Parkview Dental ON October 3, 2014

The amount of gum tissue we possess, just like how much hair we have on our heads, is merely a matter of personal anatomy – some of us just have more of it than others. If you are unhappy with your smile though, and consider yourself to have “too much” gum tissue, there are a few ways to relieve you of a gummy smile. Let’s take a look at two most common options:

Gingivectomy (Gum Lift, Gum Contouring)

The most common and speediest solution for revitalizing a gummy smile is a gingivectomy. A gingivectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of gum tissue from the crown of the tooth. It can be done with a scalpel, an electro surgery unit, lasers or diamond dental burs. There’s some art to this procedure, since your dentist effectively “carves” away the excessive tissue, reshaping the landscape of your smile so it conforms to your desired result. The procedure is done under local anesthetic and takes only a few minutes to an hour to complete depending on the number of teeth to be done.

Crown Lengthening

With the word “lengthening” in the name of this procedure, you may think it requires some sort of painful stretching of the tooth’s crown to make it longer. Thankfully, that’s not what happens. Instead, in this surgery a dentist would make an incision in the gum tissue, creating a “flap” that can be folded downward, exposing the bone that encases your teeth. A portion of that bone would then be shaved down few millimeters and the gum flap sutured back into place. At this point, however, because the bone height is lower than it was previously, the gum tissue would rest at a lower height, leaving more of the crown visible when smiling. This would make it appear as though the crown were “longer” and thus the name – “crown lengthening” is given to this procedure. While crown lengthening is a means to correct a gummy smile, many dentists recommend orthodontic treatment, instead (which, over time actually does pull the crown down a few millimeters), because it doesn’t require surgery, or the permanent removal of bone tissue.

Modern dental surgery can really do wonders for our smiles in a multitude of ways. If you’re concerned about how much gum you are flashing each time you smile, or have stopped smiling all together, have a chat with your dentist. You might be surprised at just how quickly we can get you back to smiling widely again!

TwitterFacebookLinkedInEmailPrintFriendly

Primary Sidebar

Kid's Corner

Kid’s Corner

Check It Out

What Our Patients Say

This was our first visit to this clinic and we were blown away with the service received!  Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and made us feel right at home!  Even my kids said they liked the fluoride treatment!  So glad we made the switch to Parkview Dental!
Audrey

Our greatest compliment is the referral of your friends!

Earn credit for you and the new patient that you refer to us

Get your referral card

Footer

Parkview Dental: Modern Dentistry - Caring Tradition

Our Hours

Monday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Wednesday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Friday 8:00am - 1:00pm

Come Visit Us

10 Hassan St NE
P.O. Box 49
Hutchinson, MN 55350

Phone: (320) 587-2726
Email: [email protected]

Copyright © 2023 · Parkview Dental · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Developed by Vivid Image · Log in