What is a ‘Gummy Smile’?
When a person smiles, his or her gums tend to go beyond the normal length overlapping the teeth and thus showing a more red (gums) and less white (teeth), appearance in the mouth. Here the gingival tissue seen far exceeds the upper teeth.
Causes:
- Distorted gum development: When teeth grow the gums recede to adjust to the growth. However, in some cases it does not happen, allowing it to envelop a fraction of the teeth and thus making the teeth look small.
- Erratic muscle movement: The movement of the lips is controlled by muscles. When these muscles are increasingly active they tend to distort the lips or make them open outwards causing discrepancies when a person smiles and showing more gum tissue.
- Shape of the jaw: The shape of the upper jaw is also an important feature that can cause this condition. If the upper jaw bone is protruding or out it would make the upper lip and gum tissue to protrude causing a gummy smile.
Factors That Form The Basis For A Gummy Smile
There are various factors that help in diagnosing a person with a gummy smile, like:
- The muscles of the face
- The contours of the teeth
- The contours of the lips
- The gum or gingival tissue
Many times, a person with this condition has a low self esteem; he is very conscious of his smile and at times is unwilling to smile. A person with a normal smile would show little gum tissue and more teeth. When smiling the gums should barely be seen and should be on the same level with the contours of the lips.
A person having a gummy smile may have further dental problems because of the factors that bring about this condition like tooth eruption or the process of development of the jaw.
Treatment
To treat a gummy smile a visit to the dentist is necessary. The dentist will first examine the patient’s mouth, the gums and teeth. He would ask for X- rays to be done to determine the amount of gum tissue, the shape of the jaw and the roots of the teeth, etc. Upon examination the dentist would then tell you about the various options available for this treatment.
Your dentist would not be able to treat an acute case of gummy smile and would recommend a visit to a periodontist or an orthodontist who would be able to correct your smile. On examining the patient a specific treatment would be advised.
Some of these treatments are:
- Laser – used for small defects and can be done on the same day.
- Surgical Sculpting – shaping of the gums and bones through surgery.
- Relocation of the lip through surgery.
- Braces to keep the teeth in position.
- Relocation of the bone through Maxillofacial surgery.
- Crown lengthening: This is a treatment to correct the look of a gummy smile. The periodontist , who specializes in gum, tissue and teeth restructuring, will surgically remove the extra gum tissue and relocate the bone to show more of the tooth and less of the gum. This surgery is done on more than one tooth to create a uniform gum line and a normal look.
According to The American Academy of Periodontology there are many advantages of crown lengthening such as no pain, easier eating and clear speech, a boost to ones self esteem and a better gum condition.
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Many dentists claim that crown lengthening, which involves cutting back, and re-sculpting the gum line, will correct any gummy smile. Unfortunately, crown lengthening alone either via traditional surgical blade or via laser is often insufficient. While crown lengthening may be effective in diminishing some gummy smiles, it can often create teeth that appear too long producing a “horse-like” appearance. I have found my method of lip lowering to be far more effective with minimal discomfort and a low risk of complications. I maintain that my method of lip lowering is the best treatment for patients with gummy smiles.
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