My significant other's daughter (20 and a junior in college) has always hated her smile because she thinks her teeth look like baby teeth and because she has a small gap between her two front teeth. She recently went to her mom's dentist to see about getting the gap fixed, and he said her teeth aren't really small, but her gums are too big. So he suggested gum recontouring, where they cut away the excess gum so the entire tooth shows.
I googled this to see what it was all about, but I'm just wondering if anybody here has had it done and how it went. Her dentist is telling her it won't be painful.
I don't know anything about the dentist, and I worry a bit because her mom tends to make some impulsive decisions now and then. I told her dad he should encourage her to get a second opinion. I hope she will.
My cousin did this and now she looks fabulous. I think she did go through some pain but it was worth it.
I would make sure to see before and after pictures of his work. Also see if he has a laser. Does he do a lot of esthetic work ie veneers ect.? Get a second opinion from a periodontist. This type of treatment definitely takes an artistic eye and you want to make sure the patient is on the same page what the dentist has in mind. The treatment shouldn't hurt bcshe will be numbed, but it will be tender/ sore for a few days. Fortunately the mouth heals quickly
this is a purely cosmetic treatment as opposed to a treating periodontal disease as someone else mentioned.
Wow, so I only just heard about gum recontouring for the first time last month, and it was in the context of a woman (she was my friend's longtime hairdresser) who had this done but something went so horribly wrong that she ended up needing to get her face completely reconstructed. She now no longer looks like herself at all, and she had to go to therapy to deal with the resulting trauma of not recognizing her own face in the mirror.
Long story short, I would totally get a second opinion. It would be one thing if she went to the dentist asking about this procedure, but for him to suggest it when that wasn't even what she was originally there for sounds super fishy to me.
People have it done and they are happy with it.
I had 7 years of braces growing up and they think that was the cause of early gum receding for me.
Now that I'm coming up on 50, and they've receded a bit more - I WISH I had too much gum rather than too little (it contributes to exposed roots and sensitive teeth).
She could have her teeth straightened a bit (this will fix her gap), but I'd hold off on doing anything about trimming her gums - aging will take care of it for her.
She's going to love having a young looking mouth when she's 40 (and beyond).
I would only go to a periodontist-a dentist who specializes in treating the gums. There are cases where the gum covers up the enamel of the tooth making it look short, but you want to make sure you see someone who specializes in this procedure, not someone who took a two day course in Hawaii and thinks he is now God. Dr. Noruzi in Geneva teaches at the U of Illinois dental school, and really knows his stuff. Sometimes invisalign can help to close the space between her teeth-she'd need to see an orthodontist to fix that...again, not someone who took a weekend course. Dr. Wazio has offices in Batavia and St. Charles. My dentist refers to him a lot.
Good luck, and don't rush into anything.
My mom had something simmilar done because her gums were not healthy ... it hurt like hell. I would say that if the gums are healthy I think it would be easier on her and I get the desire to want to do this ... when I smile you see my gums, not my teeth but not because I have too much gum just because that is how my smile is!
I'm sure it would hurt.
I don't know that it is needed.
How about a 2nd opinion?
I think my concern would be that there usually isn't much if any enamel on the teeth below the gum line and there for would be more susceptible to cavities.
Definitely get a second opinion about it. chances are it's not going to be covered by insurance so get a treatment plan with the costs on it also before making a decision.
It hurts but it heals very quickly. I would ask the dentist give her some nitrous before and numb her up and she should be fine. Make sure she sees before and after pics and that he/she is a cosmetic dentist. GL
M
I agree that a second opinion is so important. You could ask your own dentist, Bobbi. See what he says about the procedure.
For some reason, my button to send PM's doesn't work. Hope you got a good plumber! (Smiles!)
Dawn
