What To Do If You Have Excessive or Uneven Gums

Do you have excessive or uneven gums? Do you hate the way your smile looks? Are you anxious about showing your teeth? Or are your gums interfering with your dental health? You're not alone--and the dentists at Garner Family Dentistry in Mount Pleasant can help.

Cause of excessive or uneven gums
Excessive or uneven gums may happen for any number of reasons. Some people are born with the condition. Some people received a Gums dental injury that changed the alignment of their teeth and gums. Or, sometimes dental problems may cause one section of gum to recede while other sections remain, resulting in an uneven gum line. Whatever the cause, it can often be treated.

Problems caused by excessive or uneven gums
Having excessive or uneven gums can cause significant social anxiety. But it's more than a cosmetic problem: too much gum tissue can make keeping your teeth and gums clean more difficult, which could put you at higher risk for tooth decay and gum disease. Likewise, if some of your gums have receded, that can be a sign that you have gum disease, which should be treated to prevent future tooth loss.

Treatments
Your family dentist in Mount Pleasant is able to treat excessive or uneven gums with surgery.

If you have too much gum tissue, your dentist may perform a gingivectomy, which removes gum tissue. This is a surgical procedure, and will be done with local anesthetic. Your dentist might perform the removal with many kinds of tools--scalpels, electrosurgery units, lasers, or diamond burrs. Afterwards, your gums will be packed with a special kind of surgical dressing to allow the area to heal. You may be given pain medication, special mouthwash, and special oral hygeine instructions. For the best healing, and to prevent infection, it's important that you follow all directions.

If your gum line is uneven, your dentist can reshape it surgically. This can involve gingivectomy, by removing tissue to reshape the gums. If you need new gum tissue, your dentist can graft new gum tissue onto the gum line to help rebuild a gum line that had been too low. Just as with a gingivectomy, the procedure is done with anesthesia and you will need to take good care of your teeth and gums after the operation. Be sure to follow all your dentist's instructions.

Tired of having to hide your teeth? Call Garner Family Dentistry in Mount Pleasant at 843-884-6002 to discuss what they can do for you, and you'll be on your way to a great big smile!

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