A.
Hi, many thanks for your email, there are many ways of doing gum contouring, the most traditional way would be to cut the unneccesary gum area with a scapal, then the underlying bone is also removed to maintain the biological width, which is basically the space between the gum and bone. The gum is then tacked back into place with very fine stitches and left to heal. The healing times are usually around 10-16 weeks for full maturation of the gums.

The second way would be to use a soft tissue laser to cut away the gums and a hard tissue laser to take away the bone. The procedure is less surgically based and sometimes does not require stitches. However, some of the more renowed periodontists still favour the more traditional method as it is more predictable.

Both treatments will require some healing time and soreness after, but will only generally last around 2-3 days. As long as you are ready for this then everything should be fine. Also, painkillers will make sure you remain comfortable.

Hope all this information is helpful.

Dr Kailesh Solanki