Sometimes teeth appear to be to shorter than they actually are because the tooth is surrounded by  too much gum tissue. When this occurs, especially around your upper front teeth it can give you the appearance of a “gummy” smile. An uneven gum line can also make your  teeth appear uneven or crooked. Both excess tissue and an uneven gum line can both detract from a healthy vibrant smile. The purpose of Gum recontouring is to help re-establish an aesthetic proportion and symmetry to a person’s smile by reshaping the contour and level of your gums.  Dr. Willoughby uses several different lasers and local anesthetic to quickly sculpt and reshape the gum line, providing symmetry and balance to the teeth and gums – enhancing and creating an even more beautiful smile!

Dr. Willoughby holds advanced certification in the use of both hard and soft tissue Lasers and can expertly recontour your gum tissue using a diode tissue laser rather than a conventional scalpel blade.  Both Erbium and Diode Lasers have been clinically proven to be more accurate, cause less pain, less swelling and virtually no bleeding.  The risk of infection is also much lower with a Laser. After the procedure Dr. Willoughby will coat the affected gum tissues with a Silver disinfectant gel to help initiate rapid healing.  Usually 200-400 mg of Ibuprofen for the first few days are sufficient to manage mild discomfort.

Learn more by referring to our section on Dental Lasers or by calling our Bayview Dental Studio serving South Surrey, White Rock and the surrounding areas of Langley, Cloverdale and the rest of the Fraser Valley.

Case Study

Here is one of Dr Willoughby’s patients who has undergone laser Gum recontouring to help reestablish a more aesthetic gum profile.  In this instance the patient chose to have beautiful all porcelain crowns placed on his teeth to further enhance his smile.  The results are startling don’t you think?

State of the art Hoya Versawave Laser- used for hard and soft tissue recontouring.  Dr Willoughby holds his advanced certification with the Hoya Laser and has been using this device for more than 3 years.

Before and After