Parts of the human body aren't as even or symmetrical as they might seem. If you drew a line down the centre of your face, one side is unlikely to be the mirror image of the other. In fact, it's estimated that just over 2% of the world's population has a truly symmetrical face. Consider your gum line. It's unlikely to be a straight, perfectly even line, but while it might not be strictly even, most peoples' gum lines are proportionate. But perhaps yours isn't, and your gums might appear to be higher in some places and lower in others. What can be done about an uneven gum line?

Mostly a Cosmetic Issue

An uneven gum line isn't necessarily a clinically significant problem. For most people, it's purely cosmetic, so whether or not you seek treatment is completely reliant on whether the appearance of your gums troubles you. However, there are some dental issues that can create an uneven gum line.

Uneven Gums and Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease can lead to gum recession (where the gums literally recede). Advanced periodontal disease can even result in tooth mobility when the tooth loosens. This mobility can alter the contours of the gingival tissues at the base of a tooth, leading to an uneven appearance. When periodontal disease is the cause, this must be addressed with some urgency. Additional cosmetic modifications to improve the appearance of your gums might be necessary. 

Contouring Your Gums

These cosmetic modifications involve a process called gum contouring. Your dentist removes gum tissue in order to create a new, more aesthetically pleasing gum line. This removal can be done manually (with a scalpel) or with a laser. The procedure is quite minor and only requires a local anaesthetic, with minimal recovery time. For some patients, gum contouring can be a little more complicated. 

Adding Gum Tissue

When an uneven gum line is partially created by too little gum tissue, it won't be possible to excise any tissue to shape a new gum line. To do so would expose the tooth's root structure, making the tooth more vulnerable to infections. In this instance, your dentist might need to bulk up the available gum tissue to create an even line, and this can require gingival grafting. This is when a small amount of gum tissue is excised from elsewhere in your mouth and grafted onto the deficient site.

Uneven gums can indicate an urgent need to have your periodontal disease addressed, but it's often just a simple cosmetic concern that can be corrected with a simple cosmetic solution.

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