Gum Contouring / Gummy Smile Treatment

Gum contouring reshapes the gumline — usually with a laser or minor surgical technique — to change how much gum tissue shows relative to tooth when someone smiles.

What’s actually being corrected

A “gummy” smile can come from more than one underlying cause, and getting the right one identified matters for choosing the right treatment. Excess or overgrown gum tissue covering more of the tooth’s crown than is typical (sometimes described as altered passive eruption) is one common cause, and it’s the one gum contouring most directly addresses. Other contributing factors include a upper lip that rises further than average when smiling, teeth that are naturally shorter or have become worn, and, less commonly, an underlying jaw position issue. A dentist evaluates which of these — possibly more than one — is driving the appearance before recommending contouring specifically.

How the procedure works

After numbing the area with local anesthetic, the dentist removes the excess gum tissue and reshapes the gumline to a more proportionate position relative to the tooth crown, sometimes also reshaping a small amount of underlying bone if that’s part of what’s making the gum sit higher than ideal. A laser is commonly used for this, which tends to cauterize as it cuts, generally meaning less bleeding during the procedure and a somewhat more comfortable recovery than a traditional scalpel technique, though both approaches are used depending on the case and the provider’s preference and equipment.

Recovery

Some tenderness and mild swelling in the treated gum tissue is typical for several days after the procedure, generally manageable with over-the-counter pain relief, and most people return to normal eating and speaking within that window, with full soft-tissue healing taking somewhat longer. Because the treated area is the gum tissue itself rather than a tooth, there’s no equivalent of “sensitivity” the way a filling or crown might cause — discomfort centers on the gum healing rather than the teeth.

Why an accurate cause matters before treatment

If the real driver of a gummy smile is how high the lip lifts when smiling, or a jaw position issue, gum contouring changes the ratio of gum to tooth but doesn’t change the lip or jaw behavior causing the appearance — meaning the result may be a partial improvement rather than a full resolution. This is why a proper evaluation before treatment matters: a dentist assessing a gummy smile is looking at more than just how much gum tissue is visible at rest, including how the smile actually moves and where the lip line sits.

When it’s paired with other treatment

Gum contouring is sometimes included as one component of a broader smile makeover, timed alongside veneers, bonding, or other cosmetic work so the final gumline and tooth proportions are planned together rather than in isolation. In cases where a jaw or bite issue is contributing, orthodontic treatment or, less commonly, a referral for surgical evaluation may be discussed as part of a more complete plan.