Laser Treatment for Gummy Smile – What Do You Need to Know?
Introduction
Do you notice a presence of excessive gum tissue? Sre you perhaps, feeling ashamed because of your upper teeth behind overshadowed by the excessive gum tissue? Did you know that you are probably dealing with what is known as – gummy smile? Not to worry because with the evolution of the technology, nowadays we have perfectly effective treatment plans that you can use, including one of the latest treatments – the use of a laser to get rid of any excess gum tissue, including the one that has been causing your gummy smile. Are you interested to find out more about this promising treatment plan?
What do you need to know about the gummy smile?
A gummy smile is a term that is being used to refer to a condition [i] in which there is a presence [ii] of extra gum tissue that is hiding the teeth, especially the ones on your upper jaw. Although the gummy smile does not pose any threat to the person’s oral health, it does cause numerous esthetic problems when it comes to the person’s smile. The most common cause of gummy smile is a high lip line. The abnormal eruption of teeth, muscle problems, and improper upper jaw development can also cause a gummy smile to develop. Treatment plans for gummy smile include maxillofacial surgery for bone repositioning, surgical lip repositioning, use of Botox [iii], muscle resection [iv] and one that interests us the most – the laser treatment for a gummy smile.
What is the prevalence of gummy smile?
The problem of gummy smile seems to be quite common in a younger group of people than an older group of people. According to the report[v], published on NCBI website, the prevalence of gummy smile is around 10% in the age group of 20-30. Here is another fact about gummy smile…
The risk of a gummy smile is much higher in women in comparison to men. This problem is seen to be decreasing with age of the person.
The desire to look attractive is usually more in a younger group of people in comparison to an older group of people. And, this problem being more prevalent in the younger group of people is a serious issue in the society where the attractiveness is heavily emphasized.
What happens when you left a gummy smile untreated?
As I have mentioned before, the gummy smile does not pose any serious health threats. But, it does not mean that there won’t be any other issues when you left your gummy skin untreated.
Besides a gummy skin ruining your overall appearance, there are some issues that you are likely to experience if you left this problem untreated. [vi] Here are some of the issues that you may face if you left gummy smile untreated.
There is a chance of tooth decay below your gum line, as it may become hard to clean up those areas.
There could be a problem in placing a crown in that area.
The risks of gum disease and hygiene problems increase due to the difficulty in cleaning that area of the teeth.
In order to avoid these issues, it is recommended that you treat this problem. Thanks to the laser treatment method, this issue is not a big deal to treat.
The use of laser in the treatment of gummy smile
The use of a dental laser is a perfect fit for anyone who is afraid of painful dental procedures, in addition, it is the perfect fit for treating a gummy smile. Plus, the use of dental laser has been noted to reduce the recovery time needed and cause less discomfort as compared with other popular treatment techniques. The dental laser is able to seal up the blood vessels that are injured during the procedure, causing less swelling and blood during and after the procedure is done. With the use of the dental laser, your dentist will be able to reshape your gums, increase the length of your teeth and remove any excess gum tissue. A local anesthetic is being used to free you from feeling any pain whatsoever. The risks of the dental laser are at a bare minimum. There is the risk that you might have an allergic reaction to the local anesthetic being used, and there is the risk of excessive swelling and bleeding, both of which are very, very rare. This is a pain-free, easy and fast procedure [vii] that will free you from any excess gum tissue and give you the smile of your dreams. So far, there have been quite a few successful [viii] cases which had described the use of dental laser in the treatment of gummy smile as an effective one, leaving the patients with great results and even better smiles! The cost of the treatment depends on the number of teeth from which the excess gum tissue needs to be removed.
What is the cost of the laser treatment?
The cost of the laser treatment depends upon a person and their condition. The amount of gums to be removed determines the cost of the treatment. Besides this factor, there are other factors as well that determine the cost of the treatment.
Some of the other factors also determine the cost of the treatment.
- It takes a lower cost to treat the condition if the treatment only includes the fixing of one or two teeth.
- The cost of the treatment will rise if the treatment involves treating the entire gum line.
In addition, if the treatment procedure requires the dentist to spend more time with other dental treatments, such as dental crown placement, porcelain veneers along with dental laser, the treatment cost will rise.
If we tentatively estimate the cost, the cost of the treatment will be anywhere from $500 to $5,000. Talking about the time taken for the treatment, it usually takes only a few minutes to complete the treatment.
What about the post-procedure recovery time after the laser treatment?
It is important to know about the post-procedure recovery time as well when we choose the treatment method for the skin and gum-related problems. We know by now that the treatment procedure of the laser treatment is rather very simple, and it only takes a few minutes in general.
So, the question arises. Is there a lengthy post-procedure recovery time? Thankfully, the post-procedure recovery time after the laser treatment is also very short. The post-procedure recovery time of the laser treatment method in comparison to other treatment methods is extremely quick.
The laser treatment method uses advanced technology, which helps in an automatic sealing of the blood vessel. Due to this technology, the users experience less swelling and blood after the completion of the treatment. [ix]
Conclusion
Having a gummy smile might be the reason why you have avoided to show off your smile whenever you had your picture taken or even when you laugh at a joke. Well, lucky for you-you do not have to live with this condition anymore now that you have the laser treatment to lean on to. The use of a dental laser to remove your excess gum tissue will reduce the discomfort and the recovery time, leaving you with a smile that you will be proud to show off anywhere and anytime. Schedule your laser treatment today and enjoy its beneficial effects right away!
References
- [i] Ali JM, Ines D, (2017), Orthodontics, Gummy smile, StatPearls
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470437/ - [ii] Wu H, Lin J, Zhou L, Bai D, (2010), Classification and craniofacial features of gummy smile in adolescents, The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery 21(5):1474-9
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20856039/ - [iii] Dinker S, Anitha A, Sorake A, Kumar K, (2014), Management of gummy smile with Botulinum toxin type-A: a case report, Journal of International Oral Society 6(1): 111–115
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3959148/ - [iv] Miskinyar SA, (1983), A new method for correcting a gummy smile, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 72(3):397-400
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6611762/ - [v] Orthodontics, Gummy Smile, Jerbi Mohamed Ali; Dallel Ines https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470437/
- [vi] Dr. Jeffrey N. Suffoletta, Gummy Smile https://www.functionalaestheticdentistry.com/crown-lengthening/
- [vii] Jha N, Ryu JJ, Wahab R, Al-Khedhairy AA, Choi EH, Kaushik NK, (2017), Treatment of oral hyperpigmentation and gummy smile using lasers and role of plasma as a novel treatment technique in dentistry: An introductory review, Oncotarget 8(12): 20496–20509
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5386779/ - [viii] Narayanan M, Laju S, Erali SM, Erali SM, Fathima AZ, Gopinath PV, (2015), Gummy smile correction with diode laser: two case reports, Journal of International Oral Health 7(Suppl 2):89-91
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26668491/ - [ix] Smiles by Hanna, Gummy Smile Treatment with Lasers http://www.smilesbyhanna.com/gummy-smile-treatment-with-lasers/