Healing After Gum Contouring
Gum contouring is a common procedure that can be used to correct a gummy smile, an uneven gum line, or in the treatment of periodontal disease. Gum contouring is an outpatient procedure performed under local anesthesia with a soft tissue laser. Treatment can typically be completed in one appointment lasting 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the extent of treatment.
Full recovery time can take up to 10 days, but with good rest and post-operative care, you may be back to normal routines within a week. The better you follow your dental provider’s post-operative care instructions, the quicker you will heal.
Healing After Gum Contouring
Your doctor will provide a detailed list of post-operative care and dietary restrictions that will ensure you heal well and avoid complications or infection. Instructions will include pain management, oral hygiene modifications, dietary restrictions, and physical limitations.
Pain Management
Most patients are able to manage discomfort with over-the-counter pain medications, but if you feel that you are experiencing severe pain, your dentist may be able to provide you with a prescription. Some degree of discomfort and swelling is expected, but after 5-7 days, swelling should be completely gone. Warm salt water is a great way to soothe your surgery site and will also help keep the area clean and free of food particles and debris.
Oral Hygiene
You will need to make a few modifications to your oral hygiene routine to make sure you do not irritate your surgery site with your toothbrush, floss, or mouthwash. You will still brush and floss normally, but avoid the surgery site. You can use this warm salt water as often as you like, especially after eating. Do not use mouthwash that contains alcohol, which will burn and irritate the area and cause it to dry out.
Dietary Restrictions
Immediately following your surgery, it is important to stick to a liquid diet for a day or two. Then you can begin to incorporate soft foods like eggs, oatmeal, soft fruit, soft cooked vegetables, and well-cooked pasta. As you begin to incorporate foods that require more chewing, such as meat, take care not to bite into anything. Any foods that are crunchy or spicy will irritate your surgery site and could cause the area to begin bleeding again. Additionally, carbonated, acidic, and alcoholic beverages should also be avoided for 7-10 days.
Physical Activity
The more you rest, the quicker your surgery site will heal, so avoid any heavy lifting for at least a week. Strenuous activities and exercise can promote bleeding and cause your overall recovery time to be longer than anticipated.
If you have an uneven gum line, a gummy smile, or suffer from periodontal disease, speak with your dentist to see if you are a candidate for gum contouring to give you a beautiful, healthy smile.