Thank you for your question regarding gum contouring.
Gum contouring, as previously described by Dr Kenneth, Dr Kelvin, and Dr Gerald are usually carried out for aesthetic purposes, or for restorative purposes.
There is often an ideal golden proportions in most things around us, like how a building requires certain basic structural proportions for it to be stable, or how our nose is in relation to our head. Likewise, there is also an ideal proportion for our teeth in relation to the amount of gums that are being perceived by others.
The process that we often use, as perfectly described by Dr Gerald, is the Digital Smile Design.
Gum contouring can also be carried out for restorative purposes. These are usually carried out when the tooth is very badly broken down. In order to save the tooth, we would remove the gums (maybe bone) to ensure there is sufficient exposed tooth structure before we restore the tooth back to normal function.
Both of these procedures can be carried out surgically by the scalpel, or by dental lasers nowadays.
In addition to what has already been described wonderfully by my colleagues, I am wondering if your current question has any links to your previous one regarding your concern about your “gums starting to cover your teeth, especially around the 2 teeth affected that had rubber bands attached close to the gap after the extraction?”
I hope all these would help in allaying your concerns you may have regarding gum contouring.
Best Regards
Dr Ooi
