{"id":495,"date":"2026-06-12T19:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T19:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drtwohig.com\/blog\/?p=495"},"modified":"2026-06-12T19:02:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T19:02:20","slug":"understanding-gum-overgrowth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drtwohig.com\/blog\/2026\/06\/12\/understanding-gum-overgrowth\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Gum Overgrowth: Causes and Treatment Options"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Your gums play an important role in holding the teeth in place and protecting the roots from harmful bacteria. However, in some cases, you may have a bit too much gum tissue. This is known as gum overgrowth (or gingival hyperplasia), and it can leave your teeth looking unusually small. If you suspect that you might have overgrown gums, it\u2019s worth taking the time to learn what can cause the issue as well as how your dentist<\/a> can treat it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Can Lead to Overgrown Gum Tissue?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gum overgrowth is sometimes a consequence of gum disease<\/a>. When harmful plaque and tartar accumulate in your mouth, they can ultimately lead to an infection of the gum tissue. As a result, the gums may become enlarged due to inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, it\u2019s possible for overgrown gum tissue to be a side effect of specific types of medication. One example would be cyclosporine, which is used to suppress the immune system. Obviously, you shouldn\u2019t simply stop taking your prescribed medication, but you can speak to your physician to see if it might be having an impact on your gums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, it should be noted that gum overgrowth can be related to certain health issues, such as leukemia. It also often occurs in pregnant women due to hormone changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Can You Do About Gum Overgrowth?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In order to properly address overgrown gum tissue, you should schedule an appointment with your dentist. Once they have had a chance to learn more about your situation, they can explain what treatment options are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, overgrown gums can be corrected with gum recontouring<\/a>. This procedure involves removing excess gum tissue from the mouth in order to reshape the gumline. Nowadays, gum recontouring can be performed with a highly precise soft-tissue laser. This makes it easier to only remove the unnecessary tissue while leaving the rest of the gums alone; it can also make the treatment significantly more comfortable and reduce the amount of time your mouth needs to heal afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your gum overgrowth is related to gum disease, the kind of treatment your dentist recommends will depend on how advanced the condition currently is. There\u2019s a good chance that they will suggest a deep cleaning that consists of scaling and root planing. During the scaling step, the area around and beneath the gumline is thoroughly cleaned to get rid of plaque and tartar. After that, root planing is performed to smooth out the tooth roots, which makes reinfection less likely to occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, there can be various reasons for overgrown gum tissue. Fortunately, your dentist can help you identify the true root of the problem and properly address it so that you can improve the appearance of your smile and protect your oral health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Practice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the dental practice of William J. Twohig, DDS, we’re proud to bring our patients holistic dental care in order to help them protect their smiles and their overall well-being. We take time to understand each patient’s unique needs and explain treatment options thoroughly. Among our many services, we offer gum recontouring to correct gum overgrowth, helping Weyauwega patients achieve more confident smiles.  If you’re concerned about gum overgrowth, visit our website<\/a> or call (920) 867-3101 to schedule an appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your gums play an important role in holding the teeth in place and protecting the roots from harmful bacteria. However, in some cases, you may have a bit too much gum tissue. This is known as gum overgrowth (or gingival hyperplasia), and it can leave your teeth looking unusually small. If you suspect that you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drtwohig.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drtwohig.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drtwohig.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drtwohig.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drtwohig.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.drtwohig.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":497,"href":"https:\/\/www.drtwohig.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495\/revisions\/497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drtwohig.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drtwohig.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drtwohig.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}