Excessive gums are also known as gingival hyperplasia, which is the overgrowth of the surrounding gum tissue that becomes excessive over the teeth. Excessive gums are developed due to several different reasons, the main symptom is due to poor oral hygiene, as well as a side effect of certain medications. If excessive gums go untreated, it can affect the alignment of your teeth and even increase the risk of developing a disease. This can be repaired by improving your oral health habits; however, if your case is seen as severe, surgery may be necessary. To improve your oral health habits, you would brush a minimum of twice a day, floss your teeth morning and night, and use mouthwash each day. If excessive gums are due to a medication or disease and surgery is recommended, certain procedures are used to remove overgrown gums, including: - Laser A gum specialist also known as a periodontist will use lasers to remove any of the inflamed gum tissue. Once the inflamed gums have been removed, the periodontist will scrape away any of the plaque buildups that have formed around the roots of your teeth. - Electrosurgery The periodontist will apply electric currents which are known as electrosurgery to the gum tissue to remove or cut away any overgrowth. - Periodontal flap surgery The periodontist will fold back the gums temporarily to allow access to remove any of the inflamed tissue and again clean away any plaque or tartar that has built up on the teeth. - Gingivectomy Our periodontist will remove the portions of the gums that are inflamed surrounding her teeth. The inflamed gums will be trimmed away and removed, then repaired with stitches.