Gum Contouring · San Ramon
When the teeth are fine and the gums are the problem
Some smiles do not need anything done to the teeth at all. They need three millimeters of gum moved.
Who this is for
- A smile that shows more gum than you would like
- A gumline that sits noticeably higher on one tooth than its neighbor
- Teeth that look short or square when they are actually a normal length
- You are having veneers or crowns and want the gumline right first
Why an uneven gumline reads as crooked teeth
The eye reads a smile as a set of proportions, and one of the strongest is where each gum margin sits relative to its neighbors. When one tooth's margin sits a millimeter or two lower, the brain registers that tooth as different — usually interpreting it as shorter, or as out of line, even when the tooth itself is perfectly positioned.
This is why some people have been quoted veneers for what is genuinely a gum problem. Reshaping the margin can make an unaltered tooth look longer, straighter and better proportioned without touching enamel at all.
How the laser changes this procedure
Contouring used to mean a scalpel, bleeding, sutures and a fortnight of healing. A diode laser removes and reshapes tissue while sealing as it goes.
In practice: very little bleeding, usually no sutures, a single appointment for most cases, and healing measured in days rather than weeks. That is the honest reason we offer this — not because a laser is impressive, but because it made a formerly unpleasant procedure straightforward.
When it is not the right answer
Some gummy smiles are caused by the upper lip lifting unusually high, or by the way the upper jaw developed. Removing gum tissue will not fix either, and doing it anyway just exposes more root.
There is also a biological limit. There must be a certain distance between the new gum margin and the underlying bone, or the tissue simply grows back. Where more correction is needed than the tissue allows, that becomes surgical crown lengthening with a periodontist.
We will measure and tell you which of these you are before anything is booked.
What to expect
Here’s how the visit actually goes.
No surprises. That’s the whole idea.
01
Planning
We mark the proposed new margins and show you in a mirror before starting. This is a design decision, not just a procedure.
02
Numbing
Local anesthetic to the area. Most patients feel nothing beyond the injection.
03
The contouring
Quiet and quick — usually fifteen to thirty minutes depending on how many teeth. No drill sound and no vibration.
04
Reviewing
We check the result with you at two weeks once the tissue has settled into its final shape.
Questions
Answered before you ask.
Will the gum grow back?
Not if the case was planned within the biological limits, which is what the measuring beforehand is for. Where someone removes more than the underlying bone allows, it does grow back — that is the most common reason this procedure disappoints.
Is it painful?
The area is numbed and most people describe afterwards as tenderness rather than pain. Considerably easier than the scalpel version of the same procedure.
Can it be done at the same time as veneers?
Yes, and often it should be — we contour first, let it settle, then take the impressions so the porcelain is designed to the final gumline.
How long does it last?
It is permanent, provided the case was planned properly and your gum health is stable. Active gum disease has to be treated first.
In their words
Thirty years of families who stayed.
Every quote below is a patient's own, unedited, from our reviews.
“We LOVE LOVE LOVE Avalon Dental! Dr. B is the best dentist we’ve ever gone to”
Cassondra H. “Dr B. always does a great job and you don’t feel the work getting done”
Marie T. “The staff always make my experiences with them the best and most comfortable”
Rebecca C.