Laser gingivectomy explained

Laser gingivectomy is a dental procedure that recontours or scalpels the gingival tissue to improve long term dental health or aesthetics.^[1] Compared to conventional scalpel surgery, soft-tissue dental lasers, such as laser diode,^[2],^[3],^[4],^[5] and CO₂ lasers,^{[6] [7]} can perform this procedure, offering a precise, stable, bloodless, often less painful, and accelerated healing experience.^{[8] [9] [10]} However, the laser diode gained more popularity due to its versatility, less interaction with hard tissue, ease of use, and the less expensive set up.^[11]

Medical uses

• Where a patient presents with an unsightly gummy smile due to too much gingival coverage of tooth crown, especially the upper front incisors
• Where there is overgrowth of the gum due to oral hygiene issues, drug usage, or hereditary medical condition. Sometimes overgrowth of the gum can be seen during orthodontic treatment with fixed braces.^{[12] [13] [14]}
• Surgical exposure of teeth with delayed eruption or superficially impacted teeth to facilitate orthodontic treatment and tooth eruption

Notes and References

1. Hempton, TJ, Dominici, JT . Contemporary crown-lengthening therapy: a review. . J Am Dent Assoc . 2010 . 20516094 . 10.14219/jada.archive.2010.0252 . 141 . 6 . 647–55. free .
2. Borzabadi-Farahani, A. . A Scoping Review of the Efficacy of Diode Lasers Used for Minimally Invasive Exposure of Impacted Teeth or Teeth with Delayed Eruption . Photonics . 2022 . 10.3390/photonics9040265 . 9 . 4. 265 . free .
3. Kilinc E, Rothrock J, Migliorati E, Drukteinis S, Roshkind DM, Bradley P . Potential surface alteration effects of laser-assisted periodontal surgery on existing dental restorations. . Quintessence Int. . 2012 . 22536590 . 43 . 5 . 387–395.
4. Arnabat-Domínguez J, España-Tost AJ, Berini-Aytés L, Gay-Escoda C . Erbium:YAG laser application in the second phase of implant surgery: a pilot study in 20 patients. . Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants. 2003 . 12608675 . 18 . 1 . 104–112.
5. Jetter C.. Soft-tissue management using an Er,Cr:YSGG laser during restorative procedures.. Compend Contin Educ Dent. . 2008 . 18361340 . 29. 1. 46–49.
6. Pick. Robert M.. Pecaro. Bernard C.. Silberman. Charles J.. 1985-08-01. The Laser Gingivectomy: The Use of the CO2 Laser for the Removal of Phenytoin Hyperplasia. Journal of Periodontology. 56. 8. 492–496. 10.1902/jop.1985.56.8.492. 3938990. 0022-3492.
7. Gama. Sabrina Kívia Correia. Habib. Fernando Antônio Lima. Pinheiro. Antônio Luiz Barbosa. Araújo. Telma Martins de. April 2012. Effectiveness of CO2 laser in removal of papillary gingival hyperplasia. Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics. 17. 2. 33.e1–33.e6. 10.1590/S2176-94512012000200006. 2176-9451. free.
8. Aoki A, Mizutani K, Schwarz F, Sculean A, Yukna RA, Takasaki AA, Romanos GE, Taniguchi Y, Sasaki KM, Zeredo JL, Koshy G, Coluzzi DJ, White JM, Abiko Y, Ishikawa I, Izumi Y . Periodontal and peri-implant wound healing following laser therapy . Periodontol 2000 . 2015 . 25867988 . 10.1111/prd.12080 . 68 . 1 . 217–269.
9. Web site: Combined treatment approach of gingivectomy and CO2 laser for cyclosporine-induced gingival overgrowth. www.quintpub.com. 2017-09-07.
10. Book: Convissar, Robert A.. Principles and Practice of Laser Dentistry - E-Book. 2015-03-06. Elsevier Health Sciences. 9780323297639. en.
11. Borzabadi-Farahani, A. . The Adjunctive Soft-Tissue Diode Laser in Orthodontics . Compend Contin Educ Dent. . 2017 . 28509563 . 38 . eBook 5 . e18–e31.
12. Coletta, RD, Graner, E. . Hereditary gingival fibromatosis: A systematic review . J. Periodontol. . 2007 . 16671866 . 10.1902/jop.2006.050379 . 77 . 5 . 753–64.
13. Book: Borzabadi-Farahani . A . Cronshaw . M. Coluzzi . D . Parker . S . Lasers in Dentistry—Current Concepts. Textbooks in Contemporary Dentistry . Springer, Cham . 2017 . 247–271 . Lasers in Orthodontics . 978-3-319-51943-2 . 10.1007/978-3-319-51944-9_12.
14. Book: Borzabadi-Farahani, A. Coluzzi . D.J. . Parker . S.P.A.. Lasers in Dentistry—Current Concepts. Textbooks in Contemporary Dentistry . Springer, Cham . 2024 . 2nd . 379-398 . Laser Use in Muco-Gingival Surgical Orthodontics . 978-3-031-43338-2 . 10.1007/978-3-031-43338-2.