Gum reshaping

Introduction to gum reshaping

Gum reshaping is a process that can help many patients get better-looking teeth. During this process, the gums are moved back into the right position after they have been affected by periodontal disease.

How can gum reshaping can benefit a patient:

Gum reshaping can benefit a tooth in several ways. It helps make the teeth look better because it reduces the size of the gums, making them less noticeable. Many patients notice that their teeth seem to be shorter after gum disease develops. Gum reshaping also helps develop healthier oral tissues underneath the gums by removing diseased tissue and allowing your dentist to examine your other teeth more closely for signs of disease or damage that should be treated.

Some patients who have lost many teeth may get dentures instead of having dental bridges made for them. Dentures are full upper and lower plates with artificial teeth attached to them. These plates will fit over or replace existing real teeth so you can eat and speak normally. Some people find dentures uncomfortable to wear because they don’t always fit properly. Gum reshaping can help with denture problems, too.

Problems that gum reshaping can help resolve

Gum reshaping helps with the following conditions:

• Periodontal disease (the most common reason for this is gum disease)

• Dentures that don’t fit well

• Crowns and bridges that are too tight or don’t fit well

• Deep pockets around teeth (more than 3 millimeters deep) This allows your dentist to create an environment where the gums are healthy after treatment of periodontal disease. Your dentist can also check your other teeth for signs of decay.

What is gum disease?

Gum disease (also called periodontal disease) is a condition in which the gums and jawbone around teeth can be damaged if plaque and tartar build up to an unhealthy level. This leads to tooth loss over time, as well as to other problems such as bone loss. If you have gum disease, your dentist may recommend that one or more of your teeth be treated with root planing and/or scaling . This means cleaning below the gum line by removing tartar and increasing blood flow to improve healing. Gum reshaping will also be done at the same time if the problem warrants it.

The shape of your gums can influence how many treatments are needed for periodontal disease. For example, if your gums are very loose, they may only need to be reshaped so they are level with the teeth. If your gums are tight or have shrunken in part of the area where they were healthy before the periodontal disease developed, then one or more scaling and root planing treatments may be necessary to help stop it from coming back. What does gum reshaping include?

To reshape diseased gum tissue during a procedure called scaling and root planing, your dentist will clean below the gum line with special instruments that remove tartar (mineralized plaque). This is done first with hand instruments and then an ultrasonic device. Once this is done, some of the redundant tissue can be cut away with a scalpel to make the teeth appear longer. The reshaped gums will be allowed to heal for a short period before you get your final results. Areas affected by gum disease may require more than one visit.