What Does Gum Contouring Cost in Roodepoort?

Gum contouring is one of the smallest procedures in cosmetic dentistry and one of the hardest to price from a website — because what you are really paying for is how many teeth are treated, whether bone is involved, and what else is planned around it. This page explains what actually drives the number, so you arrive at a consultation knowing which questions to ask.

What does gum contouring cost in Roodepoort?

We do not publish figures, and it is worth being straight about why. Gum contouring is not one product — reshaping the margin on two front teeth and rebuilding a gum line across a whole smile are different procedures that happen to share a name. A published price would be wrong for almost everyone reading it.

What we can give you is where it sits relative to everything else, so you can plan:

The useful takeaway: gum contouring is one of the lower-cost ways to change how a smile looks, because it changes the frame rather than rebuilding the teeth. For many patients it is the whole treatment plan.

What affects the cost of gum contouring?

• How many teeth are treated. Two front teeth is a short appointment. A full smile line is a longer one.
• Soft tissue only, or bone as well. The largest single factor — see the next section.
• Whether gum disease has to be treated first. Inflamed gums must settle before anything is reshaped, or you are cutting away swelling rather than excess.
• Anaesthetic and theatre time. Longer procedures use more of both.
• Whether it is part of a larger plan. Combined with veneers or crowns, the gum work is usually a small line on a bigger quotation.
• Assessment. Examination, radiographs and, for complex cases, a 3D scan.
• Review appointments. Checking the healed result is part of the job, not an add-on.

What types of gum contouring are there?

Three different procedures get called “gum contouring”, and they do not cost the same.

Which one you need is not a preference. There is a band of gum that attaches above the bone — the supracrestal tissue attachment, older texts call it biologic width — and published guidance is to leave roughly 3 mm between a restoration margin and the bone (National Library of Medicine). If the new gum line would invade that space, bone has to be recontoured. Doing the cheaper procedure where the more involved one is indicated buys you inflammation and a gum line that creeps back.

You can see exactly how this plays out in a real case: we have published a photographed gingivectomy and smile makeover case showing the gum line corrected before any crown was designed.

Is gum contouring priced per tooth or per smile?

Per tooth, and grouped by quadrant — that is how the procedure is coded, and it is why a quotation for four upper front teeth reads as four line items rather than one.

It matters when you compare quotations. A number for “gum contouring” means nothing until you know how many teeth it covers. Ask for the tooth count and whether bone work is included; two quotations that look far apart are often the same price doing different amounts of work.

Does medical aid cover gum contouring?

It depends on your plan and on why the procedure is being done. Cover is generally more likely where there is a clinical reason — gum overgrowth, or exposing enough tooth for a restoration — and less likely where the reason is purely appearance. Plans differ enormously and we cannot tell you what yours will do.

What we do is give you the procedure codes and the written estimate, so you can confirm your own benefits with your provider before you commit to anything.

What do the consultation and scans cost?

The consultation sits in the $ band and includes an examination, photographs and the radiographs needed to see the bone level — which is the thing that determines whether you need soft-tissue work or crown lengthening. A cone-beam 3D scan is added only where the case genuinely needs it.

This is not an upsell; it is the difference between a real quotation and a guess. Nobody can price gum contouring properly without seeing where your bone sits.

What happens during treatment?

1. Planning. The new gum line is marked tooth by tooth and measured against the neighbouring teeth for symmetry.
2. Local anaesthetic. The area is numbed. For a few teeth the appointment usually takes under an hour.
3. Reshaping. The excess is removed along the marked contour and scalloped to follow each tooth’s natural curve.
4. Review. Symmetry is checked with the lip in a normal smiling position.

What does recovery and aftercare involve?

Under local anaesthetic the procedure itself is not felt, though there is soreness once the numbness wears off. Published patient guidance describes mild to moderate short-term discomfort rather than severe pain, with most people back to their routine within a day or two (Cleveland Clinic). Surface healing takes about one to two weeks; the contour settles fully over roughly three to five weeks.

Aftercare is soft foods for about a week, gentle brushing away from the treated margin, and any rinse we prescribe. Where restorations are planned, the final margins are designed once the tissue has settled — not before.

Who is a good candidate?

Someone with healthy gums, or gum disease that has been treated, whose teeth look short or uneven because of where the gum sits rather than because of the teeth themselves. If the teeth are also worn, chipped or discoloured, gum contouring is usually one step in a larger plan rather than the whole answer.

How long do results last?

Removed tissue does not regrow, and the result is generally lasting. A small amount of rebound can occur as the margin remodels during healing. Relapse becomes more likely with plaque, smoking, ongoing inflammation, or where bone should have been recontoured and was not — which is why the assessment matters more than the price.

What about pricing in Roodepoort and Johannesburg?

Cosmetic dental fees across Roodepoort and the wider Gauteng market vary with the practice’s equipment, laboratory relationships and clinical time, not with the suburb on the door. What changes between practices is what is included — whether photographs, radiographs, review appointments and the written treatment plan form part of the quotation or are billed separately.

Our practice is in Amorosa, Roodepoort, and we see patients from Ruimsig, Wilgeheuwel, Little Falls, Allen’s Nek, Weltevreden Park, Honeydew, Krugersdorp, Randburg and across the West Rand. Cosmetic patients routinely travel further than general dental patients, which is why our cosmetic catchment reaches wider than our general one.

Frequently asked questions

How much does gum contouring cost?

It sits in the $$ band on our scale — moderate, and well below veneers, crowns or implants. The exact figure depends on how many teeth are treated and whether bone work is needed, and you receive it in writing after your consultation.

Why do dentists not publish gum contouring prices?

Because the same procedure name covers very different amounts of work. A price for two teeth would mislead someone needing a full smile line, and a price for soft tissue alone would mislead someone who needs crown lengthening.

Is gum contouring cheaper than veneers?

Yes, considerably. Gum contouring changes the frame around your teeth; veneers and crowns rebuild the teeth themselves, which involves laboratory work and materials.

Is gum contouring priced per tooth?

Yes — per tooth, grouped by quadrant. Always ask how many teeth a quotation covers before comparing it with another.

Does medical aid pay for gum contouring?

It varies by plan and depends on whether the procedure is clinically indicated rather than purely cosmetic. We provide the procedure codes so you can confirm your benefits with your provider beforehand.

What is the difference between gum contouring and crown lengthening?

Gum contouring reshapes soft tissue only. Crown lengthening also recontours a small amount of bone, and is needed when the bone sits too close to the intended gum line.

Does gum contouring hurt?

It is done under local anaesthetic, so it is not felt at the time. Most patients report mild to moderate soreness afterwards, settling over a few days.

How long does gum contouring take to heal?

Surface healing takes about one to two weeks, and the gum contour settles fully over roughly three to five weeks.

Can gum contouring be done at the same time as veneers or crowns?

The gum work is done first, at its own appointment, so the restorations can be designed to the corrected margin. A crown made to a crooked gum line is permanently crooked.

Where can I get gum contouring in Roodepoort?

Our practice is in Amorosa, Roodepoort, and we see cosmetic patients from across the West Rand and greater Johannesburg. Call 071 884 3204 or message us on WhatsApp on 083 710 9131 to arrange a consultation.

Book a gum contouring consultation in Roodepoort

A real number comes from an assessment. We examine, photograph and radiograph, tell you whether you need soft-tissue reshaping or crown lengthening, and give you a written plan and estimate before anything starts.

Call 071 884 3204 or message us on WhatsApp on 083 710 9131. Bookings can be made at any hour of the day; we treat patients Monday to Friday, 08:00–17:00. You can also browse our treatments and service areas or read about veneers versus crowns if restorations are part of your plan.

Written by Dr Chalita le Roux, BChD cum laude (UP 2020), HPCSA DP 0118702, SAAAD member.

Last verified: August 2026. This page is for general information and is not clinical advice. Costs and clinical suitability vary by individual and are confirmed only after an in-person assessment. Professional standards per the Health Professions Council of South Africa and the South African Dental Association.