They say that all smiles are unique, and someone’s smile usually gives the impression of who you are as a person. But what if, despite the uniqueness, you find it hard to appreciate your smile? If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and felt like your smile showed more of your gums than your teeth, you might want to check in with your dentist. Gum contouring and crown lengthening are two things that can help you with your overall oral health. As similar as they sound because of how they both involve reshaping your gums, they actually serve different purposes.
In this article, we will break down what Adawn Dental Studio gum contouring and crown lengthening are, why you might need them, and how to figure out which is the better option for your concern.
What is gum contouring?
Gum reshaping, or what we know of as gum contouring, is a cosmetic dental procedure—and by cosmetic, this means that the procedure will not entail any issues with your oral health but rather with how your smile will look. Typically, the goal of gum contouring is to make your smile look more balanced by reshaping your gum line to reduce the presence of your gums whenever you smile. Visually, this makes your teeth look shorter than they actually are because your gums and teeth are in the optimum scale with each other.
Most of the time, what a gum specialist, or what we call a periodontist, will do is gently trim away your excess gum tissue—which will hurt for a couple of days after the procedure but will all be worth it. Don’t worry, as your gums will be applied with some anaesthesia before the procedure, and it can be done in one visit, so you need not worry about the pain as well as the number of days that you will be visiting your dentist.
Your dentist will suggest this procedure if you want to adjust what we call the “gummy smile” so that your smile will become more symmetrical and balanced with your pearly white teeth.
What is crown lengthening?
What differentiates crown lengthening from gum contouring is that it involves both the aesthetic and functional quality of your smile, thereby improving your optimal oral health. This procedure might be a bit blunt because it involves trimming your gums as well as removing small amounts of bone in your mouth just to expose the surface of your teeth more. But don’t worry, as this procedure is safe and can only be done by a professional periodontist. Another thing is that there are only specific teeth issues that a crown lengthening will cater to, like having broken or decayed teeth or if your tooth is too short to hold a crown in a proper way.
As this is a surgical procedure, a periodontist will be more sensitive when dealing with crown lengthening. Usually under local anaesthesia, the periodontist will adjust your gums and bone level around your teeth to not only restore the smile you’ve had before your oral health issues but also to improve it. However, because this is a surgical procedure, recovery might take longer than gum contouring. Nevertheless, the effect of crown lengthening does not only affect your smile but also your overall oral health simultaneously.
And people need crown lengthening for a number of reasons—sometimes it is crucial so that gum disease is treated or in preparation for other dental work. This is why crown lengthening is not usually suggested to people who only want to enhance their smile or want something done for cosmetic reasons.
Gum Contouring vs. Crown Lengthening: Key Differences
As we’ve previously mentioned when we’ve broken down these procedures, the main difference between the two is the function of each—gum contouring is mainly for cosmetic reasons, and crown lengthening is to prepare your tooth for restorative dental work due to some dental concerns. Gum contouring only reshapes your gum tissue just to improve your smile, while crown lengthening sometimes involves the removal of the bone and not just your gum tissue.
Because of this, the recovery periods of the two procedures vary as well, with gum contouring recovering faster than crown lengthening because of how complex the procedure is with the latter.
But which one is right for you?
You might want to set an appointment with your dentist first before you assess this question, as some concerns might be raised even if you only want to improve how you look when you smile. If you have some issues that are not only affecting your physical appearance but also your oral health, you might want to lean towards crown lengthening. Otherwise, it’s safe to take gum contouring.
At the end of the day, it’s not all about how you look in photos, but also how your teeth, gums, and mouth are in their optimum oral health. The good news is that your dentist will always consider the overall health of your gums and teeth, your bone structure, and your oral hygiene habits so that whatever they suggest, the whole procedure and the aftercare will be a success.
What to Expect: Procedure and Recovery
This is where the big difference between the two procedures lies. Gum contouring is usually surprisingly fast because the longest the procedure will take might be an hour. You might also feel a bit of discomfort, especially after the numbing wears off, but all will be well and normal within a week after the procedure. At the same time, taking care of it is simple, as you only need to rinse it with saltwater after gentle brushing and avoid hot and spicy foods for a while.
For crown lengthening, the procedure definitely takes a longer time, as it is surgically done, but not as long as the general surgery that we know of. The pain is also evident, but you will feel a bit more discomfort than with gum contouring. Some might experience a pain worse than others, so dentists usually prescribe pain relief medication so that you can still go back to what you need to do with your typical routine. Crown lengthening also takes a while to heal and would require you to have another dental visit for extensive follow-up care.
Costs in Australia
Depending on how complex the procedure will be, the cost will follow as well. Gum contouring is usually cheaper than crown lengthening, mostly because of the procedure it will entail. Regardless of which procedure you’ll be getting, keep in mind to check your health insurance, especially the coverage, so that you won’t have to worry too much about the expenses.
Aussie Lifestyle Considerations
It may be a bit too collective to consider this, but hear us out—we Australians generally appreciate a healthy and natural-looking smile because it exudes confidence wherever we are and whatever we do. Regardless if it is for aesthetic purposes or something you need to undergo, people have become more and more open to these kinds of procedures because we are becoming aware of the differences, functions, and importance of these treatments to help us achieve our optimum oral health.
At the end of the day, what matters is your overall oral health.
Regardless of your wants or whichever you might need, both gum contouring and crown lengthening offer the same goal of making sure you are confident to smile at whatever life throws at you.
Of course, continuing the habit of regularly brushing your teeth and flossing still is the best way to take care of your oral health. Otherwise, your dentist or periodontist will be there to assess your current situation and give you sound advice on which procedure to take.
