Our smile is a beautiful curve that can set right everything. Wearing a smile on our face is the best way to treat our stress and greet our youthfulness. We all like to look young and when someone guesses your age a few numbers lesser than the actual, we are overwhelmed with joy. The secret behind a youthful look lies in a beautiful smile. What goes into a beautiful smile? Is it just shiny white teeth? No, it dives deeper and includes your perfectly aligned gums.
The Secrets of a Beautiful Smile
A beautiful smile is an asset. A ‘million-dollar smile’ is a comment that’s worth more than a million. Pink lips and perfectly aligned, sparkling white teeth are a requisite for a beautiful smile. The alignment of our teeth and the way they are displayed in between our lips is dependent on the configuration of our gums. Our gums or gingivae are soft tissues that surround and seal our teeth. They hold our teeth firmly giving them the resistance to withstand the friction of food passing through them.
Healthy gums – how do they look like?
- Healthy gums are firm-textured and resistant to movement. If there is swelling they lose their firmness, suggestive of being unhealthy.
- Coral pink color is indicative of healthy gums. If there is pigmentation or the color darkens to deep red then it is indicative of inflammation (gingivitis).
- Healthy gums do not show any reaction to routine happenings like brushing. While unhealthy gums can bleed in response to such routine happenings.
- Most importantly, the contour of gums is crucial in deciding its health. Healthy gums form a smooth, continuous curve around each tooth, leaving no space between the teeth. They shield the teeth in such a way that the dental neck is not exposed and there is no vulnerability to external stimuli causing root sensitivity.
The significance of Gum Shape
Healthy gums hold our teeth intact without space, forming a uniform curve around each of them. Hence when we bite and chew food particles do not stick to our teeth or in between them. For some people, the gums may cover up each tooth excessively or unevenly impacting the look-good factor of the smile. Can we fight the looks that we are born with? In the case of Gum Reshaping, yes it is possible. Thanks to the advancements in medical science, we can now reshape our gums and beautify our smile.
Gum reshaping – a Boon to get away with the Uneven Gum Line
Gum Line contributes to the alignment and symmetry of teeth and this, in turn, impacts our smile. Excess gum tissues that extend undesirably into the tooth structure can lessen the beauty of a smile by turning a pearl white smile into a pinkish one. If the gum line is uneven then it can be reshaped through a process called gum reshaping or gum contouring. A dental expert or dentist like this Dentist In New York is the best person to decide who needs to go through this process. Gum reshaping is a gentle, minimally invasive process wherein excess gum tissue is trimmed off by giving a dental sedative.
Must-know facts about Gum Reshaping
Depending upon individual needs, the minimally invasive gum reshaping process trims away excess gum tissue. You are not alone if you get confused if you need to go for the procedure or not, because this decision requires a medical practitioner’s help. Professionals in the field can help us in this regard with their medical expertise and clear cut reasoning.
State-of-art equipment like lasers and scalpels are used by dentists in this process to reshape the gums desirably. Reshaping gums using laser requires no sutures and hence the recovery is quite fast. On the other hand, there will be sutures if scalpels are used and accordingly the recovery time will also be a little longer. Mild swelling and discomfort caused due to trimming of the gum tissue is a usual feature after this procedure. But it is manageable with painkillers suggested by the dentist and also by using ice packs externally on the affected area. Antibiotics may also be prescribed for a couple of days to combat any potential infection.
During recovery from gum reshaping, aftercare instructions, especially with regard to your eating pattern are crucial. As the gum tissue has undergone some distortion, foods that are sharp or poky need to be avoided as they can irritate the healing gums. A soft diet with inclusions like ice cream, pudding, yogurt, fruit juices, and soups is considered helpful. A normal diet can be restored based on the dentist’s perspective on the speed and nature of healing during the follow-up visit. While brushing the teeth, bear in mind to do it gently as abrasion can delay healing.
Who all can benefit from Gum Reshaping?
- Gum reshapingis a boon to people with either one or more of the unappealing characteristics including uneven gum line, small teeth or undesirable teeth shape and alignment. It is said so because this process boosts their self-confidence by assuring them a more beautiful smile.
- People who have excess gum tissue extending into the teeth can benefit from this process by unveiling more of their beautiful teeth during every smile. After all, their pearly whites were hiding behind unnecessary gummy pinks.
- Beyond just cosmetic benefits, gum reshaping also has oral health-enhancing advantages such as it prevents dental decay and gum problems like receding gums. Gum tissue extending from the crown of the tooth to the root is where food particles abundantly halt. Hence it becomes a milieu for oral bacteria if it is uneven and less firm providing a space for their breeding, this eventually ends up in dental plaque and tooth decay. The gum reshaping process makes the gum tissue even and firm nullifying the undue space for bacterial growth.
- Receding gums or gingival recession is a problem seen commonly among adults aged 40 and above. Its prevalence in adolescents is comparatively low. People suffering from receding gums, the gum tissue isn’t intact enough and pulls back from the tooth surface. This exposes the dental neck and makes it vulnerable to external stimuli causing root sensitivity, and in the long run fragile teeth. Gum reshaping can restore the firmness of gums and keep them in prime health helping you preserve your teeth.
Do’s and Don’ts for healthy gums
- Use a soft toothbrush to brush your teeth twice a day. Work on gentle strokes from the apex of the gum till the end of the tooth ensuring removal of residual food particles. Replace your toothbrush every three months so that the bristles are strong enough to wipe away damaging particles.
- Choose a fluoridated toothpaste that has fluoride content as per the American Dental Association’s seal of acceptance.
- Using floss or mouthwash soon after wake-up and during bedtime gives you additional benefits as it cleanses the areas of mouth cavity where even toothbrushes cannot reach.
- Gum disease can be non-symptomatic at earlier stages. And it is also possible for a dental plaque to remain unnoticed for some time. Hence make sure you consult a dentist periodically for assessing your oral health.
- Smoking can cause severe gum damage, hence weigh your gums high above a cigar
We hunt for happiness everywhere, but let’s realize that it effortlessly lies below our nose in the form of our smile. Even a smile can cry if it suffers the ill effects of an uneven gum line. Hence give your smile a pleasant makeover by reshaping your gums.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
