What is a Gummy Smile?
A gummy smile is also known as excessive gingival displays, where your gum tissues line your mouth and surround your teeth. Even though most gummy smiles occur naturally, some are due to other dental conditions that require professional attention to fix.
Having a gummy smile will not affect your ability to chew or talk, but it usually has a negative effect on your appearance and makes you self-conscious about smiling in public. If you are one of the people with a gummy smile and want to be able to smile without worrying about the appearance of your teeth and gums, there are a few treatment options to help restore your smile.
Causes of gummy smile
One of the most common causes of a gummy smile is a high lip line. This simply means your upper lip moves higher than normal when you smile. For most people, the lip line only moves high enough to show the teeth in their upper jaw and the small extension of gum between their teeth. If you have a high lip line, your upper teeth and a significant amount of your gum tissues show when you smile.
Another common cause of gummy smile is the loss of your baby teeth. After losing your baby teeth, an abnormal eruption of your permanent teeth can cause gum problems, allowing excessive gum tissues to develop around the new permanent teeth, making them appear shorter than they really are.
The muscles that control your upper lip can also cause a gummy smile due to hyperactivity, raising your upper lip higher than normal when you smile.
Can gummy smile be treated?
Yes, a gummy smile can be treated by your dentist. If you have a gummy smile and want to get it fixed, schedule an appointment with your dentist so they can examine your mouth to determine the extent and cause of the gummy smile.
Depending on the severity of your case, your dentist will likely make an impression of your teeth and gums and also take an X-ray of your mouth. If your case is minor, the gummy smile can be fixed with a same-day laser treatment. If it is serious, your dentist will likely recommend a specialist like an oral surgeon or periodontist to help fix your smile.
Treatment options the specialist will recommend to fix your gummy smile include:
- Surgical sculpting
- Surgical repositioning of your lip
- Maxillofacial surgery
- Braces to help move your teeth into more suitable positions.
These treatment options are also known as crown lengthening procedures and reduce the appearance of gum tissues, making your gums less visible and your teeth more visible when you smile.
Conclusion
If you have a gummy smile and do not like the way your smile looks, schedule an appointment with your dentist to figure out how severe your case is and determine the best way to fix the problem and restore your smile.
Request an appointment here: or call Gilroy Dental Associates at (408) 842-2818 for an appointment in our Gilroy office.
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