What makes a beautiful, healthy smile? Shiny, white teeth? Absolutely. But another very important part of a great smile is healthy gums.

Both your teeth and gums are part of your smile. Healthy gums are naturally pink, fit tightly around your teeth without periodontal pockets, do not overly cover your teeth, creating what is known as a gummy smile, and have not deteriorated over time as a result of gum recession or periodontal disease.

For some people, gum pigmentation can be brown or black instead of pink. The most common cause of this condition is excess melanin buildup in the gums, mainly due to genetics. Other causes for brown or black gums include smoking, side effects from certain medications, and dental fillings that have caused gum discoloration over time.

Extra pigment does not indicate any disease or other oral health issue, but patients often seek gum depigmentation treatment because of an aesthetic preference for a more uniform and pleasing pink color.

If that is something you desire, see your dentist about gum depigmentation, which is also called gum bleaching.

What is Involved in Gum Depigmentation?

Your dentist will use a laser instrument for the gum depigmentation process. The laser vaporizes a thin top layer of gum tissue, removing the cells that produce melanin. As you heal and new tissue is created, gums tend to be pink rather than brown or black.

Typically, surgery requires 30 to 45 minutes. Your dentist will use local anesthesia to make the procedure as comfortable as possible. Generally, recovery time is short, and discomfort is minimal. Most patients need only one visit, but you may schedule follow-up appointments to achieve your desired level of gum color.

Laser gum depigmentation offers a more comfortable patient experience than traditional surgical stripping, which can be painful and require significant recovery time.

What Is Involved in the Healing Process?

Generally, laser treatment causes minimal discomfort and no complications. If you have very sensitive gums, you may briefly experience some discomfort. Most patients are able to speak and eat normally immediately following the procedure, and most heal within about two weeks.

As a cosmetic treatment, gum depigmentation is not recommended for patients with oral disease or if you have dark gums caused by periodontal disease that is not a surface pigment problem. If you are taking blood thinners, your medication can cause excessive bleeding during treatment. If you have thin gum tissue or prominent tooth roots, you may experience ongoing sensitivity if tooth roots are accidentally exposed by the removal of gum tissue.

What to do if You Have Dark-Colored Gums

Healthy gums should be a pale pink color. However, for some people with darker complexions or ancestry from Africa or the Middle East, gums can be brown or black due to natural body production of extra melanin. Due to genetics, some people are born with darker gums, while others might see changes in gum tissue color resulting from varying factors such as side effects from certain medications, smoking, or discoloration over time caused by dental fillings.

See your dentist or a periodontist if you notice recent color changes in your gums. It is important to be aware of and monitor changes in gum tissue color because that can indicate serious underlying issues with your overall dental health.

Related Article: Is Gum Depigmentation Safe?