My orthodontist did some shaving of my teeth to fit me for a retainer and it has resulted in black triangles. Is there a gum grafting procedure I can do to fix these? My smile looked great before he did the shaving.
Andrew
Dear Andrew,
Black Triangles
I haven’t examined you so cannot tell you if the shaving was necessary or not. It is very likely that your orthodontist is planning on dealing with the black triangles when your procedure is over. If he doesn’t, there is a solution. I would not consider gum grafting. Our gums respond to the position of our teeth. If your teeth are straight, the gums will move back to the open position even after the grafting.
The solution to this when your treatment is done and your teeth are perfectly straight would be to have dental bonding placed in the open spaces on either side of the teeth. Be careful though. I would not expect your average family dentist to be able to do this procedure. Dental bonding is quite tricky and has to be done freehand. You will need an expert cosmetic dentist for this procedure. I would look for someone who is AACD accredited. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country and will give you a natural looking result that blends perfectly with the rest of your teeth.
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