The gum depigmentation treatment is a relatively quick and painless cosmetic procedure, performed with a dental soft-tissue laser, which easily removes the brown or black patches that often occur naturally on the gum tissue. While dark gums may be completely healthy, many affected patients elect to have this procedure performed to improve the appearance of their smile with uniformly pink gum tissue.

WHAT CAUSES DARK GUMS?

The condition called gingival hyperpigmentation or “dark gums” is caused by melanin on the surface of the gum tissue. It can affect people of all races and ethnicities, though it’s more common in people with darker skin. The dark patches can usually occur naturally, but smoking, systemic illnesses, and taking certain medications, can also contribute to hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation presents no health risks, but some people simply prefer to have a smile with even, pink gums, which gum bleaching can provide.

THE TREATMENT PROCESS

Laser Gum Depigmentation vaporizes and removes a thin top layer of the gum tissue, destroying the cells that produce melanin. As new tissue is created during healing, it tends to be pink rather than brown. The treatment may require a local anesthetic injection and has a short recovery time with manageable discomfort. Sometime depending on the colour and depth of the dark patch, it could take several sessions to achieve the desired degree of lightening.

WHO’S THE CANDIDATE?

The main guideline is simply that the gums must be healthy. We can assess your gum health at the free consultation that you have with our dentist.

This cosmetic treatment is not suitable for:

• Patients with oral disease
• Patients with dark gums caused by periodontal disease (this is not a surface pigment problem)
• Patients taking blood thinners (these can cause excessive bleeding+during treatment)
• Patients with thin gum tissue or prominent tooth roots (they may experience ongoing sensitivity if roots are accidentally exposed by the removal of gum tissue)