Gingivectomy
Gingivectomy is available at these locations:
When gum tissue grows beyond where it should, a gingivectomy trims away the excess or diseased tissue to benefit both the health and the look of your smile. Overgrowth can stem from medication, poor hygiene, or other factors, and whatever the source, our doctors at Aesthetic Dentistry can reshape the tissue carefully, closing off deep pockets, opening up better access for cleaning, and shaping a more attractive gum line.
What it is
A surgical procedure that takes away excess or diseased gum tissue, shrinking pocket depth, clearing out the spots where bacteria collect, and refining how the gum line looks.
Who it's for
Patients whose gum tissue is swollen, enlarged, or overgrown from gum disease, medications, systemic conditions, or poor oral hygiene, along with anyone after cosmetic gum reshaping.
How we help
Precise tissue removal under local anesthesia, a protective bandage to support healing, and follow-up care that ensures a healthy, attractive result.
Overgrown gum tissue harbors bacteria and holds back your smile. A gingivectomy restores both health and aesthetics.
How the Procedure Works
- Anesthesia: Local anesthetic fully numbs the area so you stay comfortable
- Tissue removal: Small, precise incisions take the excess gum tissue away
- Shaping: What remains of the gum line is contoured for a natural, healthy look
- Bandaging: A protective periodontal bandage goes over the gums to support healing
- Healing: With proper care, the gums typically heal within 1–2 weeks
- Depending on how extensive the procedure is, sutures may or may not be needed
What Causes Gum Overgrowth?
- Medications: Certain prescriptions, including anti-seizure drugs, blood pressure medicines, and immunosuppressants, can enlarge the gums
- Poor oral hygiene: Plaque and tartar buildup fuels chronic inflammation and tissue swelling
- Gum disease: Chronic periodontal disease can leave gum tissue swollen and puffy
- Systemic conditions: Hormonal changes, pregnancy, and some medical conditions can all play a part
- Genetics: Some people are simply built with thicker or more prominent gum tissue
- our doctors will pin down the underlying cause and fold addressing it into your treatment plan
Benefits of a Gingivectomy
- Reduced pocket depth: Clearing excess tissue closes the deep pockets where bacteria thrive
- Better access for cleaning: A healthier gum line is far easier to brush and floss well
- Improved appearance: An even, proportionate gum line lifts your whole smile
- Disease control: Taking out diseased tissue breaks the cycle of inflammation and tissue destruction
- Quick procedure: Most cases finish in a single office visit
- Frequently paired with other periodontal treatments for comprehensive care
Healthier gums make for a healthier smile. Schedule your gingivectomy consultation today.
What to Expect at Your Visit
Visit Steps
- Evaluation: our doctors examine your gums, measure the pocket depths, and decide how much tissue needs to come off
- Treatment: We numb the area, then carefully remove and shape the excess tissue
- Bandaging: A protective dressing goes on to shield the gums while they heal
- Instructions: You head home with detailed post-operative care instructions
- Follow-up: A check-up within 1–2 weeks to review healing and take off any bandaging
Recovery Tips
- Stick to soft, cool foods for the first few days, and keep hot, spicy, or crunchy foods away from the treated area
- Leave the treated area alone, no brushing or flossing there until the bandage comes off
- A little discomfort is normal and over-the-counter pain medication handles it
- Rinse gently with warm salt water or a prescribed antimicrobial rinse
- Skip smoking, which sets healing back considerably
- Most patients feel back to normal within 1–2 weeks
Frequently Asked Questions
The procedure itself is not painful. A gingivectomy is performed under local anesthesia, so the gum tissue being treated is completely numb and you will not feel pain while the work is done. The appointment is usually quicker than patients expect, which adds to how manageable it feels.
Afterward, most patients have only mild discomfort as the gums heal, and over-the-counter pain medication keeps it in check. Because a protective dressing is often placed over the treated gums, the area is shielded while it recovers, and most people are back to their usual activities within a day or two. Sticking to soft, cool foods and gentle salt-water rinses for the first few days keeps the recovery comfortable.
A gingivectomy is one of the quicker periodontal procedures. Most take somewhere between 30–60 minutes, with the exact time depending on how many teeth or areas are being treated and how much excess tissue needs to be removed.
In the great majority of cases, the whole gingivectomy is completed in a single office visit, including the numbing and the protective dressing placed at the end. You will spend a little additional time beforehand reviewing the plan and afterward going over aftercare, but the procedure itself is short and focused.
In most cases the tissue stays gone, but that depends on addressing whatever caused the overgrowth in the first place. A gingivectomy removes the excess tissue, but it cannot change the underlying reason it grew, so lasting results come from treating the cause alongside the procedure. Common causes worth addressing include:
- A medication that enlarges the gums, which your physician may be able to adjust or substitute
- Inconsistent oral hygiene that lets plaque and tartar build up
- Active gum disease driving inflammation and swelling
When the underlying cause is managed, the gum tissue typically does not return. If it is left in place, however, regrowth is possible, which is why we fold a plan for the root cause into your treatment rather than simply trimming the tissue and stopping there.
Both procedures reshape the gums, but they differ in how deep they go. A gingivectomy works on the soft gum tissue alone, removing excess or diseased tissue to reduce pocket depth and refine the gum line. It does not touch the bone underneath. Crown lengthening goes further, taking away both gum tissue and a small amount of bone in order to expose more of the tooth structure itself.
Put simply, a gingivectomy is usually about removing tissue you do not need, often for gum health or a tidier gum line, while crown lengthening is about uncovering tooth you do need, often to support a restoration. At your consultation, our doctors will recommend whichever procedure suits your situation, based on whether the goal is the tissue alone or exposing more of the tooth.
It can be either, and quite often it is both at once. When a gingivectomy is performed to shrink the deep pockets that harbor disease-causing bacteria, or to remove tissue overgrown by medication or inflammation, it is a medical procedure aimed at protecting your gum health. The driving goal there is function and disease control.
When the same procedure is used to reshape a 'gummy' smile or even out an irregular gum line, it is cosmetic. In practice, the line between the two often blurs: removing overgrown, hard-to-clean tissue tends to improve both the health and the appearance of the gums in a single step. Many patients come in for one reason and are pleased to find a gingivectomy delivers the other as a bonus.
The cost of a gingivectomy depends mainly on how many teeth and how many areas of the mouth need treatment, since a single-tooth procedure is far simpler than reshaping tissue across a whole arch. Whether the work is medically necessary or purely cosmetic also affects what you pay out of pocket.
When a gingivectomy is medically necessary, for instance to treat gum disease or remove overgrown tissue, dental insurance often covers part of the cost. At our Orland Park office, where the procedure is offered, we verify your benefits and provide a detailed estimate at your consultation, so you know the cost before treatment begins. See our financing page for payment options.
Clear away excess gum tissue and restore your smile. Schedule your gingivectomy consultation today.