Gum Lightening Treatment
What is Gum Depigmentation or Gum Bleaching ? and why does it occur
Gum depigmentation or Gum Bleaching is a procedure used in cosmetic dentistry to remove black spots or patches on the gums caused by excessive melanin. The most common cause of darker pigments in the gums is genetics. Excess melanin can build up in the gums, making them look brown or black instead of pink. Other causes for dark gums include smoking, and side effects from certain medications, or the possible effect of silver fillings on the gum.
Gum pigmentation manifests differently for every patient. Some people notice small, dark spots on the gums, while others experience black or brown patches or blotches on the gums.
What main causes of dark gum?
Smoke is a common irritant that leads to an increase in melanin production in the gums Known as “smoker’s melanosis".
Some medical conditions, or the medications prescribed to treat certain conditions, can also increase melanin in the gums. For example, some endocrine disorders, such as Addison’s disease, which cause darkening of the skin.
When you tan, your skin is producing melanin as a way to defend itself against the sun’s harmful UV rays.
Antimalarial medications and the antibiotic minocycline can also cause dark spots to develop on the gums.
Treatment of Gum Diseases
Gum diseases generally present themselves by inflammation, infection, and swelling of gums.
Treatment involves removal of tartar and hardened crust from below the gum line as well as diseased tissue from the pockets. Treatment of these infected pockets with laser is termed as Laser Pocket Disinfection.
The use of Lasers allows for the painless removal of the tartar and hardened crust.
The laser works by producing an invisible beam of energy at a wavelength that can tell the difference between healthy as well as infected gum tissue.
This difference in wavelength guides in the removal of the infected one.
