Black Gum Treatment

Like skin color, gums come in a variety of shades. People with more melanin tend to have darker gums. Therefore, black gums may be perfectly normal for some people. On the other hand, if black gums are not your natural shade, they could be indicating a health condition, a side effect from medication, or damage from smoking.

How are black gums treated?

Many times, black gums go away if the cause is removed. For example, quitting smoking can restore oral health and healthy gum color. Other preventable causes include following proper oral hygiene as prescribed by a dentist. If black gums are caused by conditions such as Addison’s disease, your doctor will treat the underlying condition to control its progression.

If you want to get rid of black patches on your gums for cosmetic reasons, your dentist may recommend the following options:

• Removing the black or darkened gum tissue with a scalpel
• Cryosurgery (freezing the affected gum tissue)
• Free gingival grafting (removing a piece of normal-colored tissue from the roof of the mouth and stitching it to the black gums)

How to Treat Black Gums?

• Surgical abrasions (some skin is sanded off)
• Scalpel gingivectomy (surgical tissue removal)
• Laser vaporization (destroying cells with a laser)
• Cryosurgery (tissue freezing)
• Electrosurgery (using electrical current to cut tissue)
• Chemical methods
• Gingival grafts (replacing gum tissue with tissue from the roof of your mouth)

When to See a Healthcare Provider?

If your gums have always been black, there is likely no cause for concern. However, if your gums—or a patch on your gums—is suddenly black, that's worth checking out. Make an appointment with a dentist trained in diagnosing diseases of the mouth.