What Is Gum Contouring?

Hello. I’m Director Kim Yu-na.

Are you enjoying Chuseok and the Golden Holiday?

Have you heard of gum contouring?

When the teeth appear short, or when too much gum shows while smiling,

it is not just a matter of reshaping the teeth alone; the gum line also needs to be refined.

Today, I’d like to introduce the gum contouring (gingivectomy) and tooth contouring (enamel shaping) procedure I performed myself.

1️⃣ Diagnosis and Design

First, the ratio and line of the gums and teeth are carefully diagnosed.

By comprehensively evaluating the amount of gum visible when smiling, tooth length, lip line, and more,

a golden ratio that suits the patient is designed.

✔️ Point: It is not simply about trimming the gums.

You need to consider the overall smile line that harmonizes with the teeth.

2️⃣ Anesthesia and Laser Gum Contouring (Gingivectomy)

Once the design is complete, local anesthesia is administered and laser gum resection is performed.

Using a laser results in almost no bleeding and minimizes pain or swelling.

By subtly adjusting the height of the gums, left-right asymmetry is corrected, and the teeth appear longer and more refined.

🔸 In general, for one or two teeth, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

3️⃣ Tooth Contouring (Enamel Contouring)

After matching the gum line, the next step is to subtly refine the shape of the teeth.

By making very fine adjustments at the enamel level,

the angle of the edges, length, and symmetry are naturally refined.

✔️ The amount of tooth reduction is very small, and root canal treatment is not necessary.

✔️ It is also often used to create fine balance as a pre-laminate step.

The photo below was taken on the day gum contouring (gingivectomy) was performed.

The patient’s teeth alignment had been straightened through orthodontic treatment.

Even when the teeth are evenly aligned through orthodontic treatment, if the gum shape is uneven, the teeth can look short or give an awkward impression when smiling.

Using a laser, the gum line was balanced, and the length and proportions of the teeth were adjusted together.

Immediately after the procedure, the teeth look much longer and brighter, and the line created by orthodontic treatment begins to stand out properly as well.

I’m finishing work today feeling accomplished as well.

Everyone, become even more beautiful!