Having a perfect smile and healthy looking teeth, like so many things in life, is all about balance. The balance between the size of the teeth in relation to the others, the balance of the distance between the teeth, the balance of the colour of the teeth. This balance can be effected by having gums that are too visible. Just as a beautiful painting can be ruined by an ugly frame, healthy looking, well-proportioned teeth can be spoiled by an excess of gum tissue. This excess gingival display is also known as a gummy smile and is though to affect about 14 per cent of women and 7 per cent of men in the UK.

A gummy smile is usually caused by little more than genetic predisposition, but it can be affected by some fairly common blood pressure medication. In other patients, the appearance of excess gum tissue can be caused by a high upper lip or even short teeth, which make the gums appear larger by comparison.

Gummy smiles can be easily treated by a modern procedure, utilizing a laser, called gum contouring. Also known as lifting, gum contouring involves using the laser to burn off excess gum tissue on the gum line, and shape it to create the desired effect. Although the prospect of having tissue burned off sounds rather unpleasant, it is in fact a completely painless procedure and because of the advances in dental laser technology, an incredibly accurate one. Lasers can be accurate to within the most minute of degrees and also have the added bonus of possessing sterilising qualities because of the intensity of the heat used. On some occasions, a laser on its own may not be enough to remove all the excess tissue and the bone at the root of the tooth may need to be reduced to prevent the gum tissue growing back, although this is relatively rare.

Gum touring is a relatively easy way of achieving your desired smile. If you suffer from excess gum tissue, it may be a simple matter of removing it. A Central Leeds dentist will be able to perform the gum contouring procedure in one visit to give you the gum-free smile you always wanted.