Gingivectomy & Gingivoplasty Specialist

What is gingivectomy?

Gingivectomy is a procedure that removes diseased and damaged gum tissue after periodontal infection. The team at Los Gatos Dental Specialists starts the procedure by numbing your gums with a local anesthetic. Using a laser or scalpel, they remove diseased and damaged gum tissue. 

After the removal of damaged and unhealthy gum tissue, your dentist places a putty-like material over the gums. This offers protection, allowing them to safely heal. For the best results, as you heal, you should limit your diet to soft foods and cool or warm liquids until your dentist removes the putty. 

Gingivectomy at Los Gatos Dental Specialists successfully treats gum disease. As long as you care for your gums after your procedure and maintain great oral hygiene, you can expect your gums to return to a healthy, pink state without symptoms like bleeding, inflammation, and darkening. 

What is gingivoplasty?

Gingivoplasty is a procedure similar to gingivectomy but serves only a cosmetic purpose. While it isn’t meant to remove diseased tissue to restore the health of your gums, gingivoplasty aims to remove and reshape gum tissue to alter the appearance of your smile. 

Too much gum tissue can make your teeth look disproportionately short or small, and gingivoplasty lengthens them. 

Gingivoplasty works similarly to gingivectomy. The team at Los Gatos Dental Specialists uses a laser or scalpel to perform the surgery. Sometimes, they perform gingivoplasty right after gingivectomy to reshape the healthy remaining gum tissue after removing diseased tissue. 

What does gingivectomy and gingivoplasty aftercare involve?

The aftercare processes for gingivectomy and gingivoplasty are very similar. For both procedures, you need to visit Los Gatos Dental Specialists for a consultation so you can talk to the team about your goals after they examine your gums and teeth. 

After that, they offer personalized instructions for you to follow after your procedure. They may tell you to:

• Eat only soft foods and liquids
• Stop smoking and tobacco use
• Eat bland foods that won’t irritate your stomach
• Brush and floss regularly after surgery
• Make arrangements to take a day or more off work for recovery

Since both procedures use only local anesthesia in most cases, you should be able to drive yourself home safely after your treatment. 

To learn more about gingivectomy and gingivoplasty, call Los Gatos Dental Specialists or book an appointment online today.