Gum contouring
Soft-tissue reshaping where gum is covering tooth and bone sits at the right level. Quick, with healing within two weeks.
From £300
Gum health · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Gummy smile treatment in Marylebone: diagnosing the cause before changing anything
When more than three or four millimetres of gum shows above the upper teeth in a full smile, dentists call it excessive gingival display; patients call it a gummy smile. It is harmless, but it can make otherwise good teeth look small and draw the eye away from them. The important point is that there are at least four separate causes, and each has a different remedy: gum that never receded from the teeth after they erupted, teeth that are genuinely short, an upper jaw that is longer than average, or a lip that lifts unusually high. Trimming gum fixes the first, does little for the second and nothing for the last two. At Wimpole Street the assessment sorts out which applies to you; treatment then ranges from gum contouring from £300 and crown lengthening from £600 to lengthening the teeth with composite veneers from £595 or moving them with aligners.
- Assessment £30 (new patients)
- Contouring from £300
- Crown lengthening from £600
Suitability
Is it right for you?
A good fit when
- A smile that shows a broad band of gum above the front teeth, which you would like to reduce.
- Upper front teeth that look short and square where a probe finds tooth hidden beneath the gum.
- Gum that grew back over the teeth after braces or with certain medications.
- Uneven gum heights combined with excess display.
- Anyone planning veneers who wants the gum line designed at the same time.
- Healthy gums with no active disease.
Think twice, or choose another route, when
- Display caused mainly by a long upper jaw; gum surgery cannot correct a skeletal cause and orthognathic surgery is the definitive route.
- A very mobile upper lip as the primary cause, where lip-based approaches rather than gum work are relevant.
- Teeth already at their full length with gum at the correct level; removing tissue would expose roots.
- Active periodontitis, which is treated before any aesthetic change.
- Anyone expecting gum trimming alone to transform a smile whose cause is elsewhere.
The process
How it works at Wimpole Street
- 01
Smile analysis
Photographs at rest, speaking and in a full smile measure how much gum shows and how far the lip travels. The proportions of the front teeth are measured against what would be expected.
- 02
Finding the cause
Probing tells us whether the gum is covering tooth. Radiographs and a look at the facial profile tell us whether the jaw or the lip is responsible. Frequently two causes overlap.
- 03
Planning
The plan matches treatment to cause. Excess gum is trimmed; short teeth are lengthened by crown lengthening or restorations; jaw or lip causes are explained honestly, with referral where surgery would be needed.
- 04
Treatment
Gum contouring or crown lengthening is carried out under local anaesthetic in a single visit. Veneers or bonding follow six to eight weeks later once the margin has healed.
- 05
Review
Photographs are repeated to compare against the baseline and check symmetry once swelling has gone.
Choices
Options & materials
Crown lengthening
Gum and a little bone reshaped where the teeth are truly short and the bone is too close to the enamel edge. A more stable result, longer healing.
From £600
Composite or porcelain veneers
Lengthening the teeth downwards to rebalance the proportion of tooth to gum, often combined with contouring above.
From £595 per tooth
Clear aligners
Where front teeth have over-erupted and brought gum with them, moving them upward reduces display without surgery.
From £2,000
Fees
What it costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
Assessment New-patient rate (usual fee £95). Photographs and radiographs (£20 each). | £30 |
Gum contouring Depends on the number of teeth involved. | From £300 |
Crown lengthening Gum and bone reshaping with stitches. | From £600 |
Composite veneers To lengthen short teeth. | From £595 per tooth |
Porcelain veneers Laboratory-made alternative. | From £1,095 per tooth |
Smile design Trial smile preview; credited against treatment. | £250 |
Indicative Wimpole Street fees, the same as at South Kensington and St Paul's. A written plan with the exact figure is agreed before anything is started.
Outcomes
What the result looks like
When gum excess is the cause, contouring or crown lengthening produces a visible change immediately: the teeth look taller, the gum band narrows and the smile reads as teeth rather than gum. Where short teeth are the issue, restorations lengthen them and the proportion improves even if the gum line moves little.
For jaw or lip causes the honest answer is that dental treatment can soften but not remove the display, and we would rather tell you that at the first visit than after treatment. Results from gum reshaping are stable once healed, provided the bone was respected and the gums stay healthy; regrowth of a millimetre or so is possible when only soft tissue was removed.
Afterwards
Looking after the result
- Gentle brushing with a soft brush around the treated teeth for the first week; no flossing at the site until advised.
- Warm salt-water rinses after meals for a few days.
- Soft, cool foods for two or three days; avoid anything that could scratch the margin.
- After crown lengthening, keep the stitches undisturbed until they dissolve or are removed.
- Return for review before any planned veneers are started.
Informed consent
Risks and honest limitations
Every treatment has trade-offs. These are the ones we discuss at the consultation so that a decision is made with full information rather than after the fact.
- Misdiagnosis of the cause, which is why the analysis stage matters; gum removed for a lip or jaw problem cannot be put back.
- Partial regrowth of gum after soft-tissue contouring alone.
- Asymmetry or over-correction, both difficult to reverse.
- Root exposure and sensitivity if tissue is removed beyond the bone level.
- Black triangles between teeth can appear if the papillae are reduced.
- Crown lengthening adds the usual risks of minor surgery and two to three weeks of healing.
FAQ
Questions patients ask
No. It is a variation in appearance, not a disease. Treatment is a choice, and only worth making if the display genuinely bothers you and the cause is one that dentistry can change.
From measurements. Probing shows whether gum is covering tooth, radiographs show bone and root position, and photographs show how far the lip lifts and how long the upper jaw is. The cause dictates the treatment.
Where bone was reshaped, yes, for as long as the gums stay healthy. Where only soft tissue was trimmed, a little regrowth over months is possible and may need a small adjustment.
Often that is the ideal sequence: level the gum first, wait six to eight weeks, then design veneers or bonding to the new margin so tooth and gum proportions change together.
Then the honest options are to accept the display, soften it slightly with dental work, or discuss jaw surgery with a maxillofacial team. We will not trim gum that is at the correct level.
Yes, at South Kensington or St Paul’s now at the same fees, with treatment or review in Marylebone from 1 October 2026.
Keep reading
Related treatments and guides
Marylebone, W1
Gummy smile treatment at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you as soon as the Marylebone diary is live. If you would rather start sooner, the same clinicians already see patients in South Kensington and at St Paul’s.
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
Until we open
Need an appointment before 1 October 2026?
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
