Gum shaving?

If you have finished with your orthodontic treatment and are wearing retainers (or will be soon), this is a special place to connect with others in your (enviable) situation. Ask a question or make a comment about life post-braces.

Moderator: bbsadmin

Message
Author
seeusick902
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:21 pm

Gum shaving?

#1 Post by seeusick902 »

my ortho dentist reccomended at my consultation that after braces i might want to consider some light gum shaving to make my teeth look better..what exactly is this and is it painful?

i got my braces on october 10 of last year (so dreadful cuz it was 2 days after homecoming at my high school :cry: ) and my estimated time was 2 years and this year on april 1st :lol: he told me and the (i dont know what they call him, the ladies that work on my teeth, kind of like an ortho nurse) to track somthing in my teeth because i may be getting my braces off on the 15th month (december) at the earlist or by the 18th month (may) at the latest of my treatment

BoSox2008
Posts: 118
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2007 2:09 pm

#2 Post by BoSox2008 »

hey there! this means they may want to cut some of your gum away - making the teeth appear longer. when you smile, you will see more teeth and less gums. i am not sure what your smile looks like, but this was an option for me as well. i opted out of it for now, because it is painful and my gums wore away a bit after the braces came off from brushing.

good luck! its a pretty painful procedure - think not being able to eat for a couple days. depending on the smile, it may or may not be worth it.

seeusick902
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:21 pm

#3 Post by seeusick902 »

thanks, i havnt really had any painful expieriences yet in 13 months, no brackets lost either...its probbably worth the pain seeing as i do have a gummy smile but might have to pop in an ibuprofen or two before i even sit in the chair for that day :oops:

seeusick902
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:21 pm

#4 Post by seeusick902 »

ouch when you say scalpel or lasers that makes my teeth cringe haha, ill definately have to look into it

User avatar
jennielee81
Posts: 2144
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2005 2:31 pm
Location: The Old Line State

#5 Post by jennielee81 »

My daughter's friend had it done and she said it didn't hurt much at all. She had the lazer contouring. The results were beautiful and she was really glad she had it done. The gum line on ONE of her upper centrals was very low. Difficult to describe other than it was hideous and made her smile look cartoonish.

She was 13 when she got it done and didn't mind the discomfort. Might be something to consider....
"Life is an occasion; RISE TO IT!" --Mr. Magorium
I wore Damon 3's and Opals for 20 months at age 42. Braces off January 2007
http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=3535 a little more about me here: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/co ... 961130.htm

ripchord
Posts: 196
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2007 9:32 pm
Contact:

#6 Post by ripchord »

I'm assuming he means a gingivectomy and not gum shaving. Usually it is done by numbing the gums with a topical or local anesthetic and using a laser to cut away excess gum tissue. Some dentists use a surgical tool to cut the gum tissue away. If this is what your dentist plans on, I suggest finding a specialist who will use a laser. From what I've heard, it is much less painful with a laser and only takes a few days to heal. I'm considering doing the procedure myself :) Good luck
Braced on January 5th, 2007
Debanded on April 2nd, 2009

Click www to see my story!

Andromeda
Posts: 417
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:29 am
Location: Southern California, United States

#7 Post by Andromeda »

I know this topic is pretty old but I had a question that fits right in - I am getting my braces off in June 09 so about 6 weeks from now, and I have a gummy smile. I can make it look normal if I think about it and don't smile wide but I don't want to have to hide anymore now that I've taken the steps to straighten my teeth. I have been considering the laser gum contouring for a while now and I think the only thing I'm worried about is the cost.

Does anyone know how much it costs? My entire top arch shows a lot of gum, not just a few teeth, and I heard you pay per tooth or per quadrant? If its thousands of dollars then I probably cant afford it and don't really want to get my hopes up about having it done.

Thanks!

Andromeda
Posts: 417
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:29 am
Location: Southern California, United States

#8 Post by Andromeda »

Thanks Ken :) I guess I was just looking for an order of magnitude - like if it's under 100 or several hundred or thousands or that sort of thing. I tried to look up a general idea of cost online but I could only find one website that had any actual numbers and it seemed like it would be iseveral thousands for the entire upper arch... but yea maybe I will ask my ortho to refer me for a perio consult.

Are perio consults typically free like orthodontic consults?

User avatar
fluffybottom
Posts: 385
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:28 pm
Location: Hollywood, CA
Contact:

#9 Post by fluffybottom »

Andromeda wrote:Does anyone know how much it costs? My entire top arch shows a lot of gum, not just a few teeth, and I heard you pay per tooth or per quadrant? If its thousands of dollars then I probably cant afford it and don't really want to get my hopes up about having it done.
I know I am a bit late in answering but .. better late than never, right? Anyway, I'm sure every office is different but my ortho charges $150 per tooth. I am thinking about having it done on my front four teeth when I am all done but that is still quite a ways away.
I had my braces on for 2 years, 1 month, 2 weeks and 2 days.

Image

Andromeda
Posts: 417
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:29 am
Location: Southern California, United States

#10 Post by Andromeda »

Hey fluffybottom! Thanks for responding :) Better late than never is right! Thanks for the info, its very helpful just to get a gauge of how much it might be. I'm curious about how you said your ORTHO charges for it, I didn't know orthodontists did gum shaving. Thought it was a periodontist who always does that since it has to do with the gums.

jesspenguin
Posts: 72
Joined: Wed May 27, 2009 10:15 am
Location: Gainesville, FL

#11 Post by jesspenguin »

I had a decent amount of gum tissue removed (with a laser) from my incoming incisor in order to fit a proper bracket on it. My ortho did it in his office and I wasn't charged for it. I'm also hoping to have some removed from around another tooth for aesthetic reasons when I get my braces off tomorrow :) Definitely ask your ortho if he/she does it and if so if it is something that is included in the total treatment price.
Time spent in braces: 16 months
Retainers: Top/bottom bonded and top/bottom Essix at night

Image

Andromeda
Posts: 417
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:29 am
Location: Southern California, United States

#12 Post by Andromeda »

Hmm that is very interesting - yea I had no idea it was possible to count it in treatment and have the ortho do it. I doubt mine includes it just because he seems the type to charge extra... haha. But still, it can't hurt to ask. If all else fails, maybe he can give me a good referral. I found out recently that my insurance covers like 80% or 85%, something like that, of the cost of this procedure, so it shouldn't be too bad even if I have to pay out of pocket.

User avatar
fluffybottom
Posts: 385
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:28 pm
Location: Hollywood, CA
Contact:

#13 Post by fluffybottom »

Andromeda wrote:Hey fluffybottom! Thanks for responding :) Better late than never is right! Thanks for the info, its very helpful just to get a gauge of how much it might be. I'm curious about how you said your ORTHO charges for it, I didn't know orthodontists did gum shaving. Thought it was a periodontist who always does that since it has to do with the gums.
Well, I had to have some of my gums removed to make way for my impacted canine (there was a bunch of flesh in the way which was keeping her from being able to bracket it). It was outside the scope of the billing for my treatment; that's how I know it was $150 per tooth. Now I'm not sure if my ortho would do gum recontouring simply for aesthetics but since I am interested in it, I've googled the topic and it seems that $150 per tooth is pretty in-line with what cosmetic dentists charge for the service.
I had my braces on for 2 years, 1 month, 2 weeks and 2 days.

Image

User avatar
fluffybottom
Posts: 385
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:28 pm
Location: Hollywood, CA
Contact:

#14 Post by fluffybottom »

Oh, and when I had it done, I actually had a shot of Novocaine because the amount of flesh being removed was a bit too thick to just go with a topical gel. It didn't hurt at all but since they used a laser, I could smell burning skin and that is pretty freaky.
I had my braces on for 2 years, 1 month, 2 weeks and 2 days.

Image

Andromeda
Posts: 417
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:29 am
Location: Southern California, United States

#15 Post by Andromeda »

Wow yea burning flesh smell probably is sort of scary, hah! But good to know that it wasn't physically painful :) I got my braces off today and I definitely want to look into this procedure because the gummy smile thing is just really bothering me. I might have to wait a little while though because my gums are definitely pretty swollen from the braces...

Here's my gummy smile :shock:

Image

Post Reply