Gum Contouring: Reshaping the Gum Line
Gum contouring removes or reshapes gum so more of each tooth shows or the gum line looks more even. This page explains what it changes, which cases suit it, why biologic width limits how much gum can go, the appointment, healing, how lasting results are, and cost. In short, where bone sits too close to where enamel meets root, removing gum alone is not enough.
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Medical disclaimer: This page is for general information only. It does not replace an examination or treatment by a dentist.
Dr Ibraheem Ijaz checked the clinical content of this page. He is the principal dentist here and works as a General Dental Practitioner.
What does gum contouring change?
Gum contouring changes the height and outline of the gum line, so more of each tooth shows or the gum sits more evenly. Also called gum reshaping or gingival contouring, it removes or reshapes gum; cutting a band of gum away is known as a gingivectomy. Contouring done for appearance is not the same as treating gum disease; what periodontal disease is, and how it develops, is explained on our gum disease page.
The outline matters as well as the height. In a 2009 measurement study of 20 healthy adults whose measured teeth had no gum disease, receding or overgrown gum, lost gum between them, gaps, crowding, fillings, crowns or worn edges, the highest point of the gum over each upper central incisor, called the gingival zenith, sat on average 1 mm off the tooth's centre line, away from the middle of the smile.
It was 0.4 mm off on the lateral incisors and centred on almost all canines, and the lateral incisors' gum sat about 1 mm nearer the biting edge than a line joining the central incisor and canine zeniths either side. The authors suggest these figures could serve as reference points in aesthetic treatment of the front teeth. The wider principles of a natural-looking smile line are set out under what makes a smile look natural.
Which cases suit gum contouring?
In general, removing gum alone suits extra gum over the tooth where the bone sits a normal distance from where enamel meets root. Gum that stays over part of the tooth after it has come through is called altered passive eruption, and in some cases the bone beneath it also sits nearer the biting edge than usual. Removing gum alone also needs enough firm gum, so that an adequate band remains afterwards.
A 2026 review of crown lengthening, the wider group of procedures that runs from removing gum alone to reshaping bone, lists a gummy smile, an irregular gum line and teeth out of proportion with their gum among the reasons to carry it out for appearance.
A gummy smile can also come from the upper lip, the jaw, or over-erupted upper front teeth, and a 2025 review says treatment planning must take each of these causes into account. Those causes, and aesthetic crown lengthening, are covered on our page about the causes of a gummy smile.
How does biologic width limit gum contouring?
Biologic width is the band of gum attached to the tooth just above the bone. The room it needs limits how far removing gum alone can move the gum line.
The 2017 World Workshop on the classification of gum and implant diseases renamed biologic width supracrestal tissue attachment: the junctional epithelium and the connective tissue attached to the tooth above the bone. Histological studies put it at about 2 mm on average, a 2026 narrative review says, with variations from 1 to 4 mm reported.
A 2025 review describes a 1977 classification of altered passive eruption by where the bone and the firm gum sit relative to the enamel edge, the point where enamel meets root (the cementoenamel junction):
- Where the distance from the enamel edge to the bone is normal and the band of firm gum is wide enough, removing gum alone is sufficient.
- Where the bone sits level with the enamel edge or nearer the biting edge than it, there is no room for the attachment, so the bone also has to be reshaped to make space, which makes the procedure crown lengthening with bone reshaping.
- Where the band of firm gum is narrow, removing gum would leave too little of it, so a different gum procedure is needed.
The 2025 review says the surgical approach depends on which of these applies and on whether a restoration is planned alongside the gum surgery. It adds that other factors, such as the tooth's own crown length and how the biting edges follow the curve of the smile, must also be checked: a short crown may need restorations as well as the gum surgery for an optimal result.
What happens during gum contouring?
In general, gum contouring follows an assessment of where the bone and the firm gum sit. An NHS hospital leaflet on gum surgery for gum disease says a local anaesthetic injection numbs the gum, so you are awake but do not feel pain during the procedure. You can go home afterwards, it adds, following the aftercare instructions the dentist gives, which vary with the treatment.
Questions about this treatment? Book online or call the practice.
How long does healing take after gum contouring?
After gum surgery, NHS hospital advice gives timings in days and weeks; for crown lengthening, a review gives months for the gum line to settle.
One NHS hospital's recovery advice, which covers crown lengthening among other gum operations, suggests a soft diet for a week and no vigorous activity for 24 hours. Some bleeding from the gums in the first 2 days is normal, it says. For bleeding that does not stop, it advises firm pressure on the area with gauze or a clean cotton handkerchief for at least 30 minutes, then contacting a dentist if it still does not stop, or the nearest A&E in an emergency when no dentist can be reached.
Teeth can be more sensitive to hot or cold afterwards, which special toothpastes can help manage; a dental team can advise on them.
The gum line takes longer to settle. For clinical crown lengthening, a 2026 narrative review says most tissue repair happens in the first 3 to 6 months. It says the gum margin usually stabilises within 6 months, though its summary puts final stabilisation after 6 months. On front teeth, it says final restorations such as crowns or veneers should wait until the margin has settled, up to 6 months.
How long do the results of gum contouring last?
Studies of crown lengthening have found that the gum line can creep back towards the biting edge in the months after surgery. A 2001 study followed one group of 30 patients with 84 teeth, who needed crown lengthening with bone removal before their teeth were restored, for 12 months, with professional cleaning every 2 to 4 weeks. Surgery increased crown length by an average 3.7 mm between the teeth and 4.1 mm on their outer and inner surfaces, but the gum margin then grew 3.2 mm and 2.9 mm towards the biting edge, leaving 0.5 mm and 1.2 mm of the added length at 12 months.
The regrowth was greater in people with thick gum tissue, and it appeared to vary with each person's healing response, not with age or sex. A 2026 narrative review concludes that thick gum may show more of this rebound and settle more slowly, while thin gum may carry a greater risk of receding and of an unstable margin. If your gum line seems to move after treatment, in either direction, show it to the dentist who treated you.
In a case series of six women aged 18 to 22, whose gum covered their upper front teeth with the bone level with, or nearer the biting edge than, where enamel meets root, aesthetic crown lengthening with bone reshaping (plus lip surgery in one) added an average 1.6 mm of crown height at 12 months, measured on photographs. Crown height changed minimally between straight after surgery and 12 months, which the authors took as a stable gum margin. The 2001 study and this case series both reshaped bone as well as gum; neither measured gum removal alone.
When should you speak to a dentist about your gum line?
Speak to a dentist if your gum seems to cover too much of your teeth or looks uneven; the cause decides which treatment fits.
Gum that seems to be growing over the teeth is worth showing to a dentist. A 2025 review lists gum overgrowth as a side effect of some medicines, including some immunosuppressants, calcium channel blockers and anticonvulsants.
After gum surgery, contact the dentist who treated you if healing worries you. NHS hospital advice gives pain that is not improving, or is much worse, after 7 days as a reason to get in touch. For bleeding that does not stop after firm pressure on the area for at least 30 minutes, it advises contacting a dentist, or the nearest A&E in an emergency when no dentist can be reached.
Is gum contouring offered at Deepcar Dental Care?
Yes. Gum contouring for cosmetic reasons is among the treatments offered at Deepcar Dental Care, where it is done with a scalpel.
How much does gum contouring cost?
Gum contouring has no line on the fee list.
Frequently asked questions
Does gum contouring hurt afterwards?
Any discomfort after gum surgery should start to ease after a week, NHS hospital advice says. It suggests paracetamol or ibuprofen at the label dose before the local anaesthetic wears off, asking the dental team which to take if you have allergies or problems with either, and contacting them if pain is no better, or much worse, after 7 days.
Is gum contouring available on the NHS?
NHS guidance does not name gum contouring, but says the NHS provides clinically necessary treatment to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy. Cosmetic treatments usually have to be private, it adds, and a dentist has to make clear which treatments can be given on the NHS and which only privately, and what each costs.
Can gum contouring make the gaps between teeth look bigger?
Gum surgery can make the spaces between teeth look larger, NHS hospital advice says, depending on how much gum was reshaped. It adds that the teeth may also look longer. If gaps appear, or either change worries you after gum contouring, show it to the dentist who treated you.
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Other cosmetic treatments are listed under the options in this section on the cosmetic treatments page. Cosmetic dentistry as a discipline is introduced on its own page, and accounts from patients about the practice can be found among our patient reviews.
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