Want to take your smile from blah to WOW but teeth whitening alone leaves darker “gummy smile” lines visible above brighter teeth? For flawlessly uniform color between your pearly whites and upper gum tissue, innovative gum bleaching perfects symmetry. Read on for everything you should know about the gum bleaching process available from specialist dentists like us at Bayswater Dental Surgery Clinic.
Must Read: Maintaining Heart Health
What Causes Dark Gum Lines Above Teeth?
While hereditary thin gum tissue plays a central role, the top causes of darker gum margins compared to tooth surfaces include:
- Thinning gums naturally occurring over time
- Accumulated deep staining from smoking, colored foods/drinks that embed along the gumline
- Post-orthodontic consequence of expanded gum tissue
- Improper flossing allowing plaque deposits right at the gum border
The prime treatment combo targets discoloration at the deeper subsurface origin within gums through professional bleaching while conserving any gum tissue bulk through grafting if necessary.
Professional Gum Bleaching Step-By-Step Process
In-office gum bleaching performed properly utilizes lasers to activate the whitening gel compound deeper within the epithelium in a gradual multi-appointment protocol using this precision process:
Initial Consultation & Health Assessment
An accredited gum contouring specialist like ours first evaluates the nature of your current gum staining including intensity, thickness of gum tissue and overall oral health.
We gather your medical and dental history including infection, injuries or surgery before outlining a personalized gum bleaching plan. Diagnostic imaging, gum probing and tests determine underlying causes like disease prior to considering any strictly cosmetic procedures.
Custom Treatment Trays
Effective professional whitening relies on stable, sustained coverage of the concentrated bleaching gel against gum tissues. So we make custom-fitted trays similar to clear aligners unique to your mouth’s shape so you can easily apply and retain the gel agent directly along the border of concern between teeth and gums without irritating surrounding areas.
External Bleaching Sessions
Applying professional strength whitening gel into the custom trays, our dentist then uses a specialized laser light to activate and accelerate the bleaching effect as the tray sits securely bordering both upper teeth edges and adjacent darker pink tissue for a set duration of 10-20 minutes.
The external light energy degrades embedded large pigmented molecules responsible for deeper discoloration faster than chemical bleaching alone making results visible in fewer sessions. The external whitening procedure repeats for 30-60 minutes over a series of 4-6 appointments typically scheduled at regular 2 week intervals until gum color normalizes without stark demarcation beside brighter teeth.
Healing & Observation Phase
Following successful bleaching and discontinuing tray use, focus shifts allowing gums time to heal any sensitivity caused by intensive laser and chemical applications. Twice yearly cleanings remove newly visible staining along the gum border through professional strength paste polishing as maintenance. We also assess if tissue grafting might bolster results improving gum symmetry long term around reshaped teeth.
What Does Gum Bleaching Cost In The UK?
- Overall single treatment fees range £400 – £900 but can exceed £1,500 for dramatic color corrections. Remember regional discrepancies between London vs smaller towns significantly impact pricing based on facility overhead and specialist professional expertise levels commanding higher fees in major metros.
- Assessing number of sessions required until satisfaction also influences costs which depend largely on original gum condition and precise shade discrepancy from whiter teeth. Milder cases sometimes resolve in 2 stronger sessions but severe darkening needing extensive correction accrue higher session fees spanning months.
- Policies like allowing payment plans and insurance billing including HSA/FSA reimbursement help budget intensive investment into flawless uniform smile aesthetics through chewing gum bleaching protocols.
Determine Realistic Expectations
While dramatic dark gum line disappearance clearly showcases on media makeovers after intensive chemical and light activation, temper expectations understanding genetic gingival thickness and some embedded staining resisting multiple professional treatments.
On average, patients experience 50-80% shade improvement after the full initial series of 4-6 weekly sessions followed by corrective detailing touch ups if asymmetry between tooth brightness and some lingering gum darkness persists.
Healing from short term irritation like tender gums normally resolves within a few days but gum grafting generates extended recovery periods before enjoying seamless symmetry.
Combination Treatment Strategies
For optimum uniformity between gum edges and whitened dentition, consider combining popular in-office or take-home teeth bleaching regimens with specialized gum-targeting protocols.
But perform teeth lightening first since concentrated peroxide gels often irritate delicate gum tissue. Perfect pearly bright smiles by then applying variant methods addressing solely the pinker tissue discoloration for balanced consistency across the full smile spectrum from gums to fronts!
Protection Measures
Post-treatment often reveals increased gum sensitivity losing some protective enamel through intensive lasers and chemicals. Adhere to any provided desensitizing therapy like specialized toothpastes or in-office sealants shielding nerves.
Diligent oral hygiene prevents renewed staining down the road by flossing away debris tucking near freshly exposed margins plus avoiding pigmented food/drinks that seep into microscopic vulnerable crevices.
Bayswater Dental Surgery Clinic currently extends new patient discounts up to 25% off laser gum bleaching services for those without existing periodontal disease. Contact us today at 07885532883 to schedule your smile evaluation assessing if our precision gum lightening + contouring protocols, “gum bleaching near me” ensure your brightest, most confident grin possible!
