If you have a “gummy” smile due to excess gingival tissue, you may be more concerned about the way your teeth and gums appear than the health ramifications of this condition. But the truth is that in addition to having negative aesthetic effects on your grin, overgrown gums can also cause a variety of oral health problems, too. Here’s why if you have excess gum tissue you should consider laser gum contouring, and how this procedure could help improve your smile and your oral health!

In decades past, when patients had excessive tissue that gave them a smile that appeared “gummy” or teeth that seemed too small or stubby, gum recontouring was their treatment of choice. But traditional methods of this permanent surgery left a lot to be desired. Performed by a dentist with a scalpel and requiring sutures to keep incisions closed, this procedure was often considered painful and left the mouth vulnerable to infection during healing.

Enter the soft tissue laser. Although the introduction of this device changed treatment forever, many patients still don’t understand the differences between laser gum recontouring versus traditional. Here’s a closer look at both.