Gingivectomy is a dental procedure in which a dentist or oral surgeon cuts away part of the gums in the mouth (the gingiva).
[5] In cases of gingival enlargement induced by drugs, surgical treatment through a gingivectomy proved to be effective with most patients showing no clinical sign of recurrence after one year.
This is suitable in treatment planning for teeth with inadequate tissue for retention of prosthetic restorations as a result of subgingival carious lesions or coronal fractures.
[11] Similar to subgingival crevices margins, gingivectomy to increase the crown height can be performed[11] to provide better aesthetics and normal gingival architecture.
[13] With the lip line at rest, the mean maxillary incisors display is 1.91mm for men and 3.40mm for women (nearly double the amount).
[13] More recent studies have been done to confirm the statistically significant sexual dimorphism relative to the height of visible maxillary incisor crown at rest.
Thus, this procedure can be viewed subjectively by some people as some degree of gingival display may be aesthetically pleasing and is considered youthful, and vice versa.
The patient should also be advised to avoid using the area where the surgery was performed when chewing during the initial healing stage.
If patients do not maintain the appropriate oral hygiene levels and post-operative care, then it is inevitable that the disease will return.
Patients may struggle with self-performed oral hygiene initially after the procedure, due to pain and discomfort, so regular visits for professional tooth cleaning are advised.
[17] Electrosurgery is defined as the intentional passage of high-frequency waveforms or currents through the tissues of the body to achieve a controllable surgical effect.
Electrosurgery may be used where a blood-free environment is required, providing that there is no bone coming into contact with the instrument and good oral hygiene is maintained.
The current begins in the electrosurgical unit and flows to the oral site through a wire and then to the secondary electrode.
Bipolar devices have two electrodes on their cutting tip and the current travels from one to the other, which removes the need for an indifferent plate.
[30] Regarding wound healing animal studies have shown better response in rat skin after Nd:YAG laser application than following scalpel incisions but this is only valid when energy and frequency parameters were low and higher levels of energy lead to scar formation and delayed wound healing.